Dark Vitals
by ClassySam
Summary: When a student is brutally murdered in Hogwarts, Jade Lovegood, a cold-blooded sociopath, takes this opportunity to hunt the murderer in hopes of making her first kill. Being trained by her adopted father, Jade is taught the principles of murder and to fit into the many roles of society. Awkward, charming and deadly, will she be able to track down the killer?
1. Part One: A Thousand Smiling Faces

**Danielle Radcliffe and I share the same exact birthday and to celebrate that, I am bringing you a new story! Hope you guys like it! And it's based on the Dexter series! I would love to know what you guys think about this new story! Hope you are all doing well! I definitely missed you! Enjoy!**

 **-Classysam**

* * *

Being in the midst of nearly a thousand familiar faces was strange for Jade. Being in the midst of nearly a thousand _smiling_ and expression filled faces was even stranger. Jade sat at her table in Ravenclaw, watching everyone bond and retell their summer escapades. Jade wasn't interested in neither hearing their stories nor telling them her own…unless she wanted to be sent to an institution.

" _My_ summer was amazing! We had a family reunion and spent months barbequing, playing games and telling stories over the bonfire." Padma Patil said with a grin.

The rest of her company smiled back, nodding; reacting to her story, something Jade couldn't accomplish.

"My father sent me off to summer camp to find Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. We were very close to finding one but alas, they had escaped so quickly…" Luna breathed, staring off at a wall again. Jade blinked at her sister and looked back at Padma Patil, Terry Boot and the rest of the students who gave her an odd look.

"Er-so what about you Jade? I suppose you went to a Snorkack camp too?" Padma asked.

Terry, Michael Corner and Lisa Turpin laughed and Jade only forced a smile on her face to look at least normal.

"So what did you do this summer?" Padma asked.

 _'I killed animals just the way my father had taught me.'_ Jade thought.

"Hunted…nothing else." Jade shrugged.

"So the Lovegood sisters went out to hunt for the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks? Too bad none of you actually caught anything." Michael sniggered.

Jade watched him bathe in his own humor and the corners of her mouth tugged into a smirk.

"You would be fairly surprised Corner." Jade said under her breath. Michael turned around towards her, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Did you say something Lovegood?" he asked.

"Oh…was I thinking aloud again?" Luna asked.

"Not you, the other one." Michael said.

"I didn't say anything." Jade said, shaking her head. He looked confused, thinking he heard her say something. In the end he dismissed his thoughts and turned back to join Terry Boot's conversation.

At the end of the feast, Jade got up and started walking out of the Great Hall with her sister next to her. Luna was a lovely sister to Jade and just as socially awkward but there were incredible differences between the two. Luna was gentle and never wished anyone ill. Jade was anything but. Luna had feelings and a heart but Jade was completely empty inside. She couldn't feel happiness, grief, anxiety or anything that would fit under any category of human sentiment. The only feeling she did possess was the thrill. Jade had been adopted by Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood. She was only four when she had been accepted into the family. Her memories were vague and Xenophilius never discussed the matter deeply about her past. The only thing she knew was that her biological father and mother were murdered and she sat in their blood for hours.

Xenophilius had heard her crying from inside of her house on an afternoon hunt for Wrackspurst. Curiously he looked in through the window and saw the grisly sight of her covered with her mother and father's blood and stole her from the scene. What had happened to her parents and how things became the way they did, Jade never knew and Xenophilius didn't want her to know. Ever since then, he and Pandora wanted to give her a normal life but the aftermath of Jade's past had started to creep up to her.

 _Jade quickly dug a hole in the corner of her backyard in Ottery St. Catchpole's. She looked at the headless Kneazle lying next to the new grave she was digging up._

 _"Jade! Sweetheart, dinner's ready!" Jade and Luna's mother called from the kitchen window._

 _"Jade! Where are you? We need to set the table again!" Luna's voice followed._

 _"I'm coming!" Jade shouted back._

 _She turned back to the grave and dug faster so her parents wouldn't grow suspicious of her lateness._

 _"What are you doing there Jade?" Xenophilius asked._

 _Jade shook from the sudden interruption. She saw her father standing in front of her, his white cotton like hair standing out. His large silver eyes traveled from the small specks of blood on her shirt to the dead Kneazle on the ground._

 _"Dad…you scared me." Jade said in a shaky voice._

 _"I think it's quite the opposite. Is that a Felis silvestris Kneazlus?" Xenophilius asked._

 _"Yes sir." Jade said, lowering her head._

 _"Did you do this?" Xenophilius._

 _"It bit Mummy. It could have infected her with something, it was dangerous. I didn't want it to hurt Mummy, you or Luna so I…" Jade trailed off, letting Xenophilius figure out the rest. He gave a large sigh and squatted, inspecting the small grave. Next to it, were other graves where the dirt looked upturned and recently made._

 _"This isn't the first time since you've hurt an animal is it?" Xenophilius asked._

 _"No, sir." Jade said, not being able to meet her father's eyes. ._

 _"Have you wanted to hurt something other than animals? Like…people?" Xenophilius asked._

 _"Yes." Jade whispered softly. Xenophilius didn't say anything. He stood silent, thinking._

 _"I've been expecting this." Xenophilius said._

 _Jade finally looked up at Xenophilius, unsure of what he was saying._

 _"I don't know if you still remember what had happened to you when you were little-"_

 _"I don't remember anything." Jade answered immediately. She was badly hoping that Xenophilius wasn't planning to send her back if she did remember._

 _"That's good that you don't remember Jade. I don't want you to remember it." Xenophilius said, touching her dark brown hair softly. "But what I want you to know is that whatever happened when you were little is what's making you do this." He explained._

 _Jade didn't understand and the look that she gave her father, made him elaborate._

 _"You're different Jade. You are not like other children. These things that you do…killing animals aren't normal. Normal children wouldn't do that but you do…and you won't be able to control it when you get older." He said._

 _"I'm not normal?" Jade asked._

 _"I'm telling you this because I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to get in trouble either. The last thing I need is to lose one of my daughters." He said._

 _"What do I do now, if I'm not normal?" Jade asked. Xenophilius gave his daughter a onceover, still touching her hair softly._

 _"You have to pretend to be." He said._

It was from then when Xenophilius channeled her bizarre urges for killing things into socially acceptable activities such as sports to vent out her frustrations. The urge to kill something never subsided in Jade however. It was a nagging and prickling feeling tugging and running all over Jade. It was as if there was a mosquito buzzing near her ear, biting her in the dark. Being overwhelmed, Jade _had_ to give in to those urges. She needed to kill something, just like a normal person would turn on the light and kill the mosquito to get the much needed rest and relief they wanted. When her father caught her, there wasn't much to be explained because he was already aware of her issues and quite strangely understood. He was the one who taught her how to be prepared and most importantly, how to kill to control her needs.

The hardest part was fitting in to be normal.

The way people would interact, connect and socialize was something Jade couldn't follow. She knew everyone else faked lots of emotions themselves but she had to fake all of them. Luna had been completely different, being a social butterfly at her early years. She would have friends and Jade would have herself, often tagging along and scaring them off by trying to decapitate insects. They'd run away and call her names but Luna never seemed to mind and Jade appreciated her for that. Did Luna know that Jade had the tendency to kill? The answer was no and that was exactly how Jade and Xenophilius agreed it to be. To protect her family and loved ones, Jade would never let her darkness show in case she had gotten caught.

"Do you think Advanced Potions will be as hard as they say?" Luna asked when they reached the common room.

"It's hard to say but it shouldn't be too hard. We studied with Dad for the last few weeks in summer haven't we?" Jade asked.

"Oh yes, but we never know what to expect when Professor Snape himself is teaching do we? If only Potions could come so easily to me." Luna said wistfully.

Jade walked up the staircase, seeing the look on Luna's face. It was another reference to their mother's death and still traumatized Luna to this day. In a way it had added to the early sociopathic qualities that Jade had inherited from before, when they both witnessed their mother blowing up into tiny bits and pieces across the entire room and even on them.

 _Jade and Luna sat on the stools as their mother put an apron on so she wouldn't dirty her clothes. She smiled at her children and pulled on her leather gloves to start on her concoction._

 _"Pray that this works out well so we can finally be able to see those Nargles and Wrackspurts!" she said._

 _Jade sat still, watching her mother in awe. She always admired Pandora's ability to experiment with different potions. It took a person a lot of courage to mix, match and perform trial and error. Her mother started out slowly, pouring tentatively, testing the reaction and taking notes for recording purposes._

 _However that day, things went horribly wrong and she had died. No, Jade hadn't killed her._

 _Pandora went to reach for a glass of salamander legs over a boiling pot of potion with various ingredients. Pandora grabbed the glass of salamander legs but ended up knocking down a box of a baby Erumpent horn. It was the second time in Jade's life where she sat in a room that was covered with blood. Unlike the large chopped up pieces like her biological mother, Pandora was reduced to scattered flesh that was no more than an inch long. Luna broke into hysterical cries and Jade sat there, frozen, in shock. Xenophilius was heard running up the stairs and opened the door to the scene._

 _"Oh…Oh my g-goodness." He stammered, looking around the room. His eyes set on his two children. Both terribly frightened but expressing themselves in stark contrast._

 _"I-I swear I didn't kill Mummy." Jade said, seeing Xenophilius nod, breaking into sobs._

 _"I know you didn't sweetheart." He said, hugging his children tightly._


	2. Part One: Rules To Kill

The next morning, Jade made sure she was ready. Her clothes were folded neatly and put back into the luggage under her bed. She looked around, seeing the girls in her dormitory sleeping soundly and left. While she was walking down the stairs, Jade retraced her steps in her mind, hoping that she had made the bed the exact way she wanted and put her things away as neatly as possible. A few things irked her here and there but Xenophilius had always been strict on her for cleanliness.

 _'If you become a serial killer, you need to learn how to clean up after yourself so you will never get caught. You need to be in control and be as meticulous as you can be.'_ He would say to her.

The advice was worth every inch of it. Even the smallest detail left unattended to could send her to Azkaban. Jade wanted badly to kill an actual person but her father kept putting her off, telling her she wasn't ready yet. But Jade begged to differ. She wanted to graduate from killing animals to killing humans but was waiting for her father. There were certain principles Xenophilius had set up for her:

1\. _Never kill the innocent. This rule only applies to those who murder._

 _2\. Always make sure that you have the right person._

 _3\. Prepare ahead of time and make sure you are careful to leave nothing, not even a drop of blood behind._

 _4\. Never get caught._

 _5._ _Never give anyone a reason to suspect you._

If she could only convince her father that she was ready for a kill, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't think she was ready.

"Either your summer was so boring that you were dying for school to start or you're just…strange." A voice said.

Jade quickly turned around to see Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin boy making his way towards her. His father was preferred on her shining list to kill but it was only too bad that he had to be killed in the Great War between Voldemort and Harry Potter.

"I'm just a morning person…unless you consider that weird." Jade said, wondering if she made any sense. He cocked his eyebrow and his lip twitched slightly.

"No, not really. Considering I'm a morning person myself but not-" he paused, reading his watch. "Six in the morning." He said, looking back up to her.

Jade didn't explain herself. Instead, she looked at his arm where the Dark Mark was supposed to be. If he had become a Death Eater and still killed innocent people, he would make a lovely first kill on her table. Draco saw where her eyes wandered off to and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm not a Death Eater." He said.

"I didn't say anything." Jade said.

They heard a door open and close nearby. Draco turned back to Jade with panic streaked across his face.

"I think it's Pansy. You haven't seen me at all!" he said, hiding in a nearby corridor. Jade raised an eyebrow and saw Pansy Parkinson appear in front of her.

Common knowledge told Jade that almost everyone in Slytherin were complete and authentic creatures of hostility towards anyone who was not a part of their House. Pansy Parkinson decided that she would multiply that hostility by a few thousand times on Jade ever since they had entered Hogwarts.

"What the fuck are you standing there for?" Parkinson asked.

"Um…just exploring." Jade said.

"Shut the fuck up." Parkinson snapped.

"Okay…" Jade said cautiously.

"Where's Draco Malfoy? Did you see him around?" Parkinson asked. Jade shook her head, seeing Parkinson narrow her dark brown eyes.

"I don't believe you, you fucking weirdo." Parkinson said.

"I'm…sorry?" Jade said.

"Useless oddball." Parkinson muttered, walking away.

Jade watched her leave, reconsidering Xenophilius's rules to kill. She had learned her lesson before in her 5th year when one of their neighbors, a boy their age taunted Luna, calling her Loony Lovegood and Jade the original 'Weird Sisters.' It never bothered Jade up until when he crossed the line about Jade's mother, Pandora. That small remark about her mother's death sent Jade after Noah with an ice pick she took from the kitchen counter. She was quiet and planned to catch him off guard but luckily Xenophilius reached her before she could stick the ice pick into Noah's jugular.

 _"Are you out of your mind Jade?" Xenophilius asked when he pulled her into the house._

 _"Let me go Dad, he deserves it!" Jade said, struggling to break free from her father's grasp._

 _"There are millions of other children who taunt others. You're even going to have grown people taunting you when you get older but murdering them is not how you deal with them! You become a murderer just like the rest when you kill them, because believe it or not, they are innocent! Don't waste your life or your time to kill someone who hasn't taken someone's life away. Just because he said a few bitter things about you and us doesn't mean you need to kill him. That's just life and you need to know that they are not worth it." He said._

"That was a bit abrasive." Draco said, reappearing in front of Jade.

"I don't really mind." Jade said.

"Really?" Draco asked with a grin, seeing Jade nod back, forcing a smile.

"So, see you in a class if we have any together today." Jade said, starting to walk away. Draco started following her, not used to her awkwardness.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"The Great Hall. Where else?" Jade asked.

"I'm going there too." Draco said.

Jade didn't understand where he was going with this. What did she care where he was going or not going? Instead she played along.

"That's nice…I guess." Jade said, walking off with him still behind her.

"So, what did you do this summer?" he asked. Jade gave him a sideways glance, wondering why he wanted to ask.

"Bonded with my father." Jade said, seeing him nod.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Hunted."

"For?"

"Do you really care or are you always this curious?" Jade asked, stopping in front of the Great Hall. The tips of Draco's ears turned red and he was caught by his tongue, unable to answer her question.

"I was just trying to be nice." He said.

"Oh…" Jade said.

"Hi Draco." A girl said, walking by with a friend. They both giggled and smiled, seeing him raise his eyebrows and greet them.

"Hey girls, I trust that the morning has been treating you right?" he winked, seeing them giggle even harder.

"Seeing you makes the morning even better." They said.

They walked away and Draco grinned looking back at Jade who was expressionless.

"Women find me charming." He said, seeing her take a short sigh.

"Have fun!" she said. She walked away to her table, leaving him alone and befuddled.

Not only did she know how to interact with the opposite sex, she wasn't even interested. Sex wasn't even a big deal for her. What good was sex when she couldn't feel anything? It also kept from deeply offending them, making them think that they were incompetent. Men had a bigger and more fragile ego than women from Jade's experience so she avoided them altogether.

"Miss Lovegood." Professor Flitwick said, handing her, her schedule.

"Thank you, Professor." Jade said.

"I've heard you wished to study for healing school? Should I start calling you Healer Lovegood from now on?" Flitwick asked.

"Healer Lovegood sounds strange…like I'm offering something illegal." Jade said.

Flitwick burst out laughing, knocking down the stack of schedules. Jade wondered if he was going to be okay, never fully understanding why people laughed so hard to something she didn't mean to be funny.

"Something… _illegal_!" he said, in between his laughs.

Jade tried to laugh along with him, but ended up scaring herself, so she backed off and walked away unless Flitwick had a heart attack and died on her. Then who would she kill if they were to send her off to Azkaban? Jade met with Luna and ate her breakfast. She took her time, looking around, observing people until it was time to leave for their first class. Luna insisted that they wait for Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Jade never usually spoke to anyone except for Luna but wondered why the four, especially Hermione and Ginny considered her as a close friend.

"Jade! Luna!" Hermione exclaimed.

If Jade were normal, she would have hugged back but when it came to hugging, kissing, any act of affection at all, she preferred to kill herself.

"Hermione!" Jade said, trying to sound bright.

"How was your summer? You never wrote back to me." Hermione said, seeing Jade nervously scratch her forehead.

"Seems like the owl killed itself again." Jade shrugged.

"Poor owl. Why do your owls die so quickly?" Ginny asked.

"It's been months and you girls are hung up about owls. Ready for the first class?" Harry asked.

The entire day, Jade went around from class to class, mostly having classes with Hufflepuff and some with Gryffindor and Slytherin. Some Professors taught their classes differently, preferring their students be paired with another student from a different House. Jade didn't mind that she had to share table space with another girl from Hufflepuff and neither did Luna but the rest of Ravenclaw treated their partners badly. The poor Hufflepuff girl next to Jade couldn't even look her in the eye for the very first time.

"It's all right Jeanine; I won't kill you." Jade joked around.

Her classes breezed by, promising enough work to keep her mind off of the urge for a while.

* * *

 _'I will not kill Trelawny. I will not kill Trelawny. I will not kill Trelawny.'_ Jade thought fiercely.

"And so your cup means…that you will _DIE_!" Trelawney hollered, pointing a finger at Harry.

Everyone suppressed their giggles but Jade felt more annoyed then amused. Hermione was right; this class was bogus in a crystal ball. Nothing proved anything and Trelawny had nothing better to do than to remind everyone of Harry's impending death.

"You will die…someday!" Trelawny shrieked.

"We all will. Some faster than others." Ron whispered to Jade. Jade didn't expect to laugh but she did and Trelawny turned towards her.

"Miss Lovegood! Are you mocking Death?" Trelawny asked.

"Er-"

"You must take Death seriously! You cannot treat it lightly! It's such a daaaaark-" The bell rang and everyone shot up, scattering for the door. "But…wait! I'm not finished with Death! Read chapter…why does everyone leave before I assign the homework?" Trelawny asked herself.


	3. Part One: Jaded

For a few days, Jade spent her time in the library, studying and doing homework even when there wasn't an exam for days. She just needed to be alone. Her father would disapprove but even normal people had to pull away from the world once in a while to keep their sanity.

"Gluing the book to your face again Lovegood?" Parkinson asked.

Jade looked up from her books to see Parkinson with the butch-like Millicent Bulstrode and a thin sickly looking girl.

"Gluing like there's no tomorrow." Jade said, to lighten up Parkinson's mood.

Apparently Parkinson didn't like it when the people she kicked, kicked themselves.

" _Fuck you_." Parkinson said. Hopefully Jade would never have to see Parkinson again after graduating Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry?" Jade apologized, getting Parkinson even angrier.

"Can't even fight back." Millicent said as she and the other girl laughed.

"Leave her alone!" a deep voice said.

They all turned around to see Colin Creevey standing nearby. He was _towering_ at 6 feet and a few inches and wasn't the awkward and overzealous boy he was known for in his younger years.

"Holy crap Creevey, is that you?" Parkinson asked as her girls gawked at him.

"Didn't notice me did you? I want you all to leave Jade alone or the next time you see me, it won't be pretty." He said.

"I doubt that." Millicent said, giving Colin a onceover.

Jade cringed and so did Colin.

"What is she? Your girlfriend or something?" Parkinson sneered.

"So I heard a rumor about you this summer, may I share?" Colin asked.

Parkinson looked lethally furious and leaned over like she wanted to spit on him.

"I can report you to my boyfriend." Parkinson hissed.

"Right…the boyfriend who happens to run away from you at every given chance. Report away!" Colin said throwing his arms out. Parkinson turned around and stalked away with Millicent and the other girl. Colin turned around to Jade who looked slightly at a loss for words. "You know you could have been a little meaner." Colin said, sitting in front of her.

"I don't want to cause problems. I usually avoid them by not caring what she says." Jade said.

"I think that's why you get picked on more than anyone else in the school. You trying to be Gandhi on Pansy Parkinson won't help but set her off even more." Colin said, taking Jade's quill.

 _'Gandhi must be turning in his grave.'_ Jade thought.

"I handle my problems a little more differently than other people." Jade said, seeing him smile.

"You're too nice." Colin said. Jade was silent and watched him take her books, reading through them. "You're smart too. I like smart and sweet women." He said, looking back at her.

"What do you want me to do?" Jade asked.

"I want to take you out sometime. Is that too forward?" Colin asked, not bothered by her being on point.

Jade paused, wanting to say no. This was going to be another relationship disaster, she could tell. It was going to result in a tear filled ' _you're a heartless bitch, nothing means anything to you_ ' kind of tirade while Jade watched, not responding or even providing convincing emotions.

"I don't think it's a wise thing to do." Jade said, starting to pack up. Colin was thrown off, not expecting her to prepare to leave.

"Wait! I didn't offend you did I?" Colin asked.

"I'm not offended." Jade said.

"Then what's the problem?" Colin asked, holding her arm down gently. Jade looked at him, thinking of many reasons to tell him.

"You're younger than me." Jade said.

"But I'm taller." Colin said quickly.

"I'm not interested."

"Why not?" Colin asked.

"I need to study on my N.E. ." Jade said.

"I can help you study." Colin said.

"I don't believe in pre-marital sex." Jade said.

"Then I'll marry you." Colin said.

There was nothing wrong with persistency but when it was abused like this, it felt…aggravating.

"Let me at least think about it." Jade said.

"You'll probably avoid me to death, which would make it harder for me to pursue you, so I would need your answer right here, right now. And before you say no, I would like to tell you that, that is no is not an option. I would really like to date you…even if it's just once. Just give me one little chance and if it's still a no, I'll happily walk away and promise to never bother you again." Colin said.

Jade rubbed her face, wishing there was an easier way of keeping people away from her.

 _"Hi Jade." Wallace, one of their neighbor's son said, walking over to Jade who had been polishing trophies, plaques and silver around the house._

 _"Hello Wallace." Jade said, going back to polishing._

 _"What are you doing on Saturday?" Wallace asked shyly. He was still an awkward boy at sixteen but sweet and courteous to her and the rest of her family unlike that brute Noah._

 _"Read a book probably." Jade said, setting Luna's poetry plaque aside._

 _Wallace nodded, looking like he was having a hard time trying to say what he wanted. Jade supposed he was going to tell her that someone died in his family._

 _"I have two tickets to see the Weird Sisters live in Hogsmeade." He said. Jade scoffed, going back to polishing._

 _"I hope you burn them." Jade said. Wallace gaped at her._

 _"I…forget it." He said, walking away._

 _Jade watched him leave and shrugged, going back to her work. The door behind her opened and Xenophilius looked out, clearly unhappy with her._

 _"What's wrong with you Jade?" he asked._

 _"What? Did I not polish correctly?" Jade asked._

 _"The boy wanted to take you to the concert…on a date." Xenophilius said._

 _"Then why couldn't he just ask me?" Jade asked._

 _"Would you have said yes?" he asked._

 _"Absolutely not." Jade said._

 _"Why not?" Xenophilius asked._

 _"I just don't like them, that's all." Jade said._

 _"I agree that the Weird Sisters make strange music but-"_

 _"I didn't mean the Weird Sisters." Jade said._

 _Xenophilius opened his mouth to say something but his thoughts got the better of him._

 _"Do you like…girls?" he asked._

 _"No! Why would I do that?" Jade asked._

 _"Then why don't you like boys? What's wrong?" he asked. Jade reddened and shrugged._

 _"I just don't, I'm not interested." Jade said. Xenophilius placed a hand on hers, giving her a grim look._

 _"It's one of the many masks to wear just to fit in with everyone else. You can't be alone for the rest of your life otherwise it would just make you look suspicious. People would think something is wrong with you." he explained._

"Fine." Jade said finally.

Colin gave a mini fist pump and for a terrifying second Jade thought he would hug her but he didn't.

"I won't let you down." He said.

"I really hope you do." Jade said, walking away.

There wasn't anything that Jade could do ever since giving Colin the green light for a date. She continued on with her classes and by the end of September and the beginning of October, exams and quizzes had made themselves well on their way. On the first weekend of October, everyone gathered in the Great Hall. They were dressed for the chilly weather and ready to go to Hogsmeade. Some were more excited than others.

Jade sat still at her table, her finger tracing around the mouth of her glass. She saw Colin glance up to her every now and then, giving her a wave. Jade could only nod back; never interested in faking that she was looking forward to this date. She was absolutely dreading it. They all had to get up eventually and squeeze themselves into a carriage. The worst part of it was that Colin had invited himself into Jade's carriage who had been sitting with Ginny, Luna and Hermione. The mirth that her friends and sister suppressed as Colin spoke away made Jade's skin prickle.

"We'll see you girls when we get back!" Colin said.

"Have fun the two of you!" Ginny said, pulling Hermione and Luna away. Colin waved them off as Jade stood there, watching him.

"Are we going to stand here all day?" Jade asked.

Colin turned around and lightly knocked Jade's shoulder.

"I can see that you can't wait to get our date started." He said.

"I can barely contain myself." Jade said dryly.

Colin didn't seem to pick up on her sense of humor and started leading the way. They entered a small and unknown pub where a group of Hogwarts students settled themselves in. If Jade's life couldn't get any worse, it was going to take a deeper plunge.

On stage was a wizard, singing to one of Celestina Warbeck's songs.

"Wizard's Karaoke! How about it?" Colin asked excitedly.

"I don't like listening to people sing." Jade told him.

"Then you can sing for them." Colin said.

"I don't sing." Jade said.

They sat down at a table and ordered Butterbeers. Even normal people must have cringed when there was someone obnoxiously singing to their favorite song while their voice could knock out any mandrake. After four more excruciating minutes, Colin got up and walked over to the stage. He whispered something to the witch sitting in the corner with the piano. If Colin was going to ask her up, she was definitely leaving this date behind and find something better to do.

"Hello everyone, my name is Colin. I'm actually here with my lovely date. She's sitting right there, the table next to the man in the red shirt." Colin pointed out.

Everyone turned towards Jade. So this is what embarrassment felt like. Jade forced another smile on, seeing everyone lightly clap.

"Hey….J-J-Jaded." Colin sang.

Everyone burst out into laughter and Jade looked around, unfamiliar to the song but it was enough to sink her further in her seat.

 _'You got your mama's style  
But you're yesterday's child to me  
So Jaded  
You think that's where it's at  
But is that where it's supposed to be  
You're gettin' it all over me  
Exer-ated!' _

People from Hogwarts were here, witnessing this monumental fail. What were they making out of it? Jade could only tell when they would get back.

 _My my baby blue  
Yeah I been thinkin' 'bout you  
My my baby blue  
Yeah i'm so Jaded  
And baby, i'm afraid of you_

* * *

"That was the first time I've ever sang in front of so many people." Colin said as they walked side by side outside.

"That's nice. You have a nice voice anyways." Jade said.

"Really?" Colin asked brightly, seeing Jade nod.

"And thank you for not forcing me to sing." Jade added.

"I didn't want you to hate me and never see my face again. It's been a long time since I've opened up to someone like this. The way I sang on that stage for the first time, I just felt like another person you know? It's like you saw a side of me today that you would probably never see." Colin said.

Jade froze, looking at Colin. He was absolutely right and the way he was telling her about how exciting it felt to show another person a side of him that no one would regularly see, seared into her mind.

"Tell me more." Jade said. Colin bit his lip, thinking deeply.

"The opening up thing?" he asked, seeing her nod. "It's frightening at first but when people start to accept you by getting used to you…then that's it." He shrugged.

 _"Whatever you are, you can't let anyone know. There is something growing inside of you that you need to control. If anyone else finds out then it's all over. The years that I've put in, trying to hold those impulses down will be put to waste. Think of your sister, your friends. How would they feel when they saw you being sent to a Dementor? Accept who you are Jade…this is who you are." Xenophilius told her._

Colin moved his face close to Jade and kissed her softly. He wrapped his arms around her and they kissed for a while in front of the public. Sadly, kissing someone as well left Jade feeling the same as she had always felt; emotionally vacant. She kissed him back and he took it as a signal to take it to the next level.

"Hey kids! Don't do that here!" Madame Rosmerta said from her pub. Jade pulled away and Colin giggled.

For the next few days, Jade spent her time in the library with Hermione, studying in general. What Jade could understand from teenage love was that it was obsessive and Colin exhibited exactly the way she had expected. He would follow her into the library and stay there for hours, talking, trying to initiate a snog and would eventually get kicked out when Madame Pince spotted them. Colin wasn't a bad kid at heart but he was just another stress in Jade's life.

"You know, it's been a month and I already feel connected to you. Like you're my soul mate or something." Colin said, brushing Jade's hair off of her shoulder.

"You don't know how much that means to me." Jade said non-committal as she read over her essay that was going to be due tomorrow.

"Put your books down for once." Colin said, setting her essay aside. He kissed up her neck, trying to ease her into the mood. Jade rolled her eyes and felt Colin slipping her robe off. "Do you want to do it here or somewhere else?" he asked. Jade furrowed her eyebrows.

"I thought you didn't support pre-marital sex." Jade said. Colin nodded.

"But you make me feel so…alive. I think you're the one." Colin said.

Jade gave him a blank stare and he sat in front of her, putting himself into further believing that they had a 'connection'.

"I'm not sure this is what you want. Perhaps you're mistaken." Jade said, seeing Colin shake his head.

"I'm sure this is what I want and I know you want this too." He said softly.

"Colin-"

"Ssh." Colin hushed, placing a finger over her lips. "Don't say a word." He whispered. He got up and closed the door to the room that they were currently in so no one would be able to walk in on them.

It was just like rest of them…empty. Jade couldn't help it, no one could. Colin panted and looked over to Jade who yawned.

"I think I have to go back to my common room. It's getting late." She said. She got up and started to dress, leaving Colin dumbfounded.

"What do you mean you're going to the common room? Don't you want to stay here with me?" Colin asked.

"As much as I'd like to I can't. If I leave after curfew I might get into trouble." Jade said, zipping up her pants.

"But we were each other's firsts." Colin said, seeing Jade look up.

The poor boy was mistaken, but what could she do when she couldn't feel regret?

"Okay? So?" Jade asked. She stuffed her feet into her shoes and Colin got up, still confused.

"Our first time didn't mean anything to you? It was supposed to be magical and loving…caring! We're supposed to be in bed and wake up next to each other in the morning and you want to go back to your common room?" Colin asked incredulously.

Jade paused, wondering what would be an appropriate thing to say to something as upset as Colin. "I'm…sorry?" Jade asked.

The shock doubled in his face.

"Is that what you have to say to everything? Parkinson makes a jab at you and you say sorry. I try to make something of our moment and you say sorry? Do you understand how important this is to us?" Colin asked.

"It's just sex." Jade said with a shrug. Colin gasped sharply.

"Just sex?!" he squawked.

"I don't understand why this is such a big deal for you. Usually men aren't this…psychotic about sex." Jade said, giving him a onceover.

"You don't know men! You don't even know me. You have no idea about anyone actually. You're just a cold hearted and selfless…" he trailed off, wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes. Jade started to feel uncomfortable. It always led to moments like these, when some started to break down and cry in front of her. If she were to say sorry one more time, it would have set him off even more.

"I think I should go. Feel better." Jade said, taking her things and walking out. Colin ran after her, screaming.

"You know what?! This relationship is over! You're nothing to me just the way I was nothing to you!" he yelled after her. She turned around at the stairs as other people stared at their fiasco.

"Er…okay." She said. Jade turned around and started to walk out of the Gryffindor common room but Colin still tailed along, unwilling to believe that she would take things so lightly.

"Do you not understand fucking basic English?" Colin asked when they were in the corridor.

"I do…I just don't think you understand what you're saying." Jade said behind her. She saw Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson at the end of the hallway turning around to see Jade trying to walk away from Colin who only had on a pair of boxers.

"Hey! Creevey! Put some fucking clothes on!" Draco said.

" _You_ don't understand _me_. What I'm trying to tell you is that this is over! Don't come back to me tomorrow and think everything is all right again. We're done!" Colin said.

"You told me that a million times." Jade said.

"What the fuck did Creepy Lovegood do this time?" Parkinson asked, crossing her arms.

"Stay in line Pansy." Draco said to her. He turned around to Jade and held an arm out in front of her so she wouldn't leave. "What's going on?" Draco asked.

"None of your goddamn business Malfoy." Colin said.

"Actually I was on my way back to my common room. May I?" Jade asked politely to Draco who gave her a long stare.

"You're not winning over anyone with your manners. People were right, you and your sister are insane and that loopy father of yours." Colin spat.

Jade wheeled around, giving Colin a dark look. If Parkinson or Draco weren't there, Jade would have let the nagging and crippling desire to kill unleash over him.

"I don't want to hear it. Stop the name calling and go back to your Houses." Draco said.

"Creepy Lovegood is right." Colin snarled, leaving. Parkinson looked amused; standing there as Jade started getting ready to leave again.

"Sorry for the inconvenience." Jade said. Parkinson sneered at Jade who left, not wanting to stay for a second with the two Slytherins.


	4. Part One: Bloody Beautiful

**Last chapter for the night! Please leave a review!**

 **-Classysam**

* * *

For the next few days, Jade resumed as if nothing had happened. Of course Colin came crawling back to her, asking her to forget all that had happened and start anew but Jade was unmoved. She clearly didn't want to continue something that no one would believe would work. Anything that seemed to stay long with her tended to die out somehow, but it was never her fault. Ginny, Hermione and Luna tried to ask if she was all right, prodding her with questions, giving her words of solace but were puzzled that Jade was stone faced, unaffected.

"It was only a month and you shouldn't worry about it Jade." Hermione said as they walked down the hallways when library hours came to a close.

"I've been trying to tell you that I'm not worrying about it." Jade said.

"You're so strong Jade. How do you manage?" Hermione asked.

Before Jade could say anything, she saw Hermione's face pale and twist with horror. Hermione screamed as hard as she could and Jade looked forward to see what Hermione had seen. Hermione had the natural reaction as most people would have to see such a sight…but to Jade, it was beautiful.

Heartbreakingly beautiful.

Blood was splattered across the walls and Romilda Vane was on the ground, twitching as warm dark blood spurt out of her jugular, making a pool around her head.

"Call someone quickly. She's still alive." Jade said to Hermione, not letting Romilda Vane out of her sight. Hermione ran off and Jade quickly made her way towards Romilda, taking her robe off. She balled the robe up and pressed it against Romilda's neck to stop the blood flow. Romilda's eyes flew back and forth in her sockets, telling Jade that she was terrified.

"Tell me who did this to you." Jade whispered.

Romilda choked and sputtered, unable to say anything. Romilda looked down to her hand which was balled up into a fist, holding something. Jade looked back at Romilda and pried her tight fist open, revealing a torn emblem. Jade picked it up and turned it over to see the red and golden color with the G in 'Gryffindor' missing.

"Miss Lovegood! Please step aside immediately!" Headmaster McGonagall shouted.

Jade looked over her shoulder and moved away, pocketing the small piece of evidence. Blood was dripping from her robes as McGonagall and a couple of Professors made their way to Romilda Vane to help her.

"Who's done this to you?" McGonagall asked.

"She really can't speak. She's also lost a lot of blood and doesn't have much time before-"

"We know what we're doing Miss Lovegood! Move aside! You are covered with blood!" McGonagall said.

Jade backed off as Romilda Vane was transported off to the Hospital Wing. She heard the sobs of other students nearby but stood there to admire the blood. Massive amounts of fresh blood that sent her teeth grinding. This was the blood of an innocent, spilled by someone who held a lot of resentment in their heart. Jade pulled out the partially ripped emblem, tracing her thumb over the sewn in part of the badge.

"You're mine now." Jade whispered.


	5. Part One: Ready

No one was able to sleep after last night's incident. There was a killer amongst them…a killer who could have done this before but nevertheless a step ahead of Jade. Romilda Vane died early this morning from heart failure and her parents wasted no time in taking her away for a proper burial. Jade saw Headmaster McGonagall trying to console a broken hearted family. Romilda's mother and father were red eyed and shattered from the news of their daughter's death. When Xenophilius found Jade in the pool of blood, a monster was born then and Xenophilius had given that monster a proper way to feed it's addiction. It was there to serve a purpose, instead of blindly killing and destroying the lives of innocent victims, just like the Vane family. This was Jade's opportunity. To bring justice to Romilda Vane's parents.

Jade saw a dark haired girl holding Mr. Vane's hand, not quite understanding the extent of the situation. Her sister was killed but she didn't know what that meant. The little girl wasn't going to understand that her sister was never coming back. The little girl turned her head, looking into the Great Hall, meeting Jade's eyes. In a sea full of students who were staring at the family, Jade felt that the little girl was calling out to her. If Jade had a heart, it would be breaking by now.

"It's a horrible thing what happened to the Vane family." Hermione said as Ron wrapped an arm around her.

"Who would do such a thing?" Ginny asked.

"We cannot go anywhere alone. There's a murderer running around and he needs to be caught…but no one can find anything." Luna sighed.

Jade had her hand in her pocket, rubbing the torn emblem, feeling every fiber.

"Was she dating anyone? It could have been an ex-boyfriend or something?" Harry suggested.

"Could be. It could probably be another girl who wanted to give you a love potion and didn't want Romilda to do it this time." Ron chuckled.

Everyone gave him a pointed look and he brushed it off. "Bad joke, I'm sorry." He said.

"Romilda didn't have a boyfriend. Her only close friend was Matilda who doesn't seem to be holding well." Luna said.

"Maybe Matilda did it." Harry suggested.

"No." Jade said quickly.

Everyone turned around, expecting an explanation. "Well…Matilda's been wailing in the common room ever since she found out. Hasn't come out since." Jade said.

"That doesn't prove shit." Ginny said.

"Ginny!" Hermione scolded.

"Anyone can commit murder and look sorry for it. It's all a mask so they wouldn't get caught." Ginny said. Jade raised an eyebrow at Ginny, seeing a promising career in the Ministry for her.

"It's getting late. We have to leave before curfew. The Headmaster says we all have to be in our common rooms before seven and those who will be out and about will definitely be punished." Luna said, seeing them all nod. Jade got up from her seat and started walking out, waving goodbye to the rest.

"If you want, we can accompany you." Harry said getting up.

"The common room is just around the corner. If someone jumps at us, we'll scream to let you know." Jade said seeing them smile. Jade and Luna walked out of the Astronomy Tower, towards the Ravenclaw common room.

"Do you think whoever did this will get caught?" Luna asked.

"One way or another." Jade said.

 _'Preferably by me.'_ She thought.

They were just about to reach the Ravenclaw Tower when someone called out Jade's name.

"Jade!" Colin shouted, running towards her. Jade winced and Luna stood by her, not leaving her for a second.

"What are you doing here?" Jade asked.

"I just came to see if you were okay. You know, with the murder and all." Colin said.

"I didn't know her. Goodnight." Jade said, going to leave but Colin held her back.

"But you must be scared." He said.

"No, not really." She said.

With that, Jade walked into the common room with Luna, hearing Colin knock his head against the painting for a while.

* * *

"Miss Lovegood?" the Professor Sinistra asked. Jade looked up from her exam, seeing her Professor squint.

"How long do you need?" she asked.

"Just five more minutes. I need to finish this paragraph and proofread." Jade said, seeing Sinistra give a small nod.

"It's just I'm very nervous since it is midnight. No one should be walking around alone. Mr. Malfoy?" Sinistra asked Draco who was still scribbling things down.

"I need 5 minutes as well." Draco said not looking up.

Jade finished up and proofread about three times before handing it in.

"Why don't you stay for a few minutes until Mr. Malfoy is finished? He can accompany you back to your common room?" Sinistra asked.

"That's fine. The Ravenclaw Tower is just around the corner. I'll be fine." Jade said. Professor Sinistra still looked uncomfortable about leaving Jade alone. "Have a safe night." Jade said, leaving the room.

Jade walked down the stairs, into the cold and dark hallway leading to the Ravenclaw Tower. The hallway was empty and silent and everyone was held tight in their common rooms, safe. A rustle was heard nearby and a soft but audible sound of something falling. Jade stopped, feeling her heartbeat start to increase. She grasped on to her bag, knowing that this was her chance to confront the killer, if there was one at the corridor nearby.

A hand grabbed Jade's shoulder. Thanks to the entire summer dedicated to self-defense techniques and dominant positional control, Jade was able to quickly grab the person's hand and slam them into the wall with her elbow pinned to their neck. Jade saw that she was holding Draco against the wall but it wasn't for long until he swept his leg over hers and disabled her.

"Merlin's fucking beard, what the fuck was that Lovegood?" Draco coughed, massaging his throat.

Jade quickly stood up and brushed herself off, seeing Draco staring at her bewilderedly.

"Sorry about that…you just snuck up behind me." Jade said.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Draco asked when he finally got his voice back. Jade gave him a nervous look and shrugged.

"Ever since that attack on Romilda Vane, Harry insisted we learn to protect ourselves." Jade lied.

Draco gave her a strange look, undoubtedly doubting her. "You scared the shit out of me." He said.

"Sorry about that. You seemed like you keep a few moves up your sleeves as well." Jade said, picking her bag up.

"Luckily Potter wasn't the one to teach me. Professor Sinastra asked to make sure that you were back in the common room after I was finished with my exam." He said.

"Thanks but I've got it from here." Jade said, starting to leave.

"I don't really think so." He said, following her.

Jade walked forward and Draco followed silently. She advanced towards the corridor nearby where she heard movement. Dark red blood that almost looked black ran down the corridor, into their path. Draco and Jade stopped, seeing the blood slowly making its way across them. They turned around and rounded the corner, seeing a mass of red hair facing down as blood gushed and streamed from her face.

"It's Matilda." Jade said, dropping her bag. She went to run towards Matilda but Draco held her back.

"You can't go near her." He said, taking out his wand. He gave it a flick and red jet immediately shot out, disappearing from the hallway.

* * *

"As you all have been notified, Matilda Whyte has passed away last night from a senseless act of violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends and we wish to catch the perpetrator as soon as possible. If anyone knows anything about their deaths or has seen any suspicious activity, please inform as soon as possible so you can avoid another mindless death." McGonagall said.

Jade sat at her table, starting to feel like she was losing time. Another death in less than two days. The killer was starting to have fun and another death was bound to happen sooner or later. Jade turned around, looking at the Gryffindor table. There wasn't a face that she could pinpoint for murder. Whoever it was, was doing a fairly decent job in showing their innocence. Parents started to rain into Hogwarts, extracting their sons and daughters to take home. They were understandably upset and right on their own to take their children home for safety while there was a murderous maniac on the loose.

"A handful of parents have flown in and are concerned for their children's safety. We in Hogwarts have no objection to taking your children home until whoever is responsible for this has been caught." McGonagall.

Jade felt a light touch on her head and she turned around to see her father standing behind her, touching Luna's head as well.

"Have you come to take us home father?" Luna asked lightly.

"Yes I have, but before I do, I would like to speak to Jade for a moment." He said.

Luna nodded and looked off to Jade who got up from her seat. Many parents had been there, talking to their children, some taking them away immediately and some negotiating to stay and promising that they would stay safe.

"Jade, what's going on?" Xenophilius asked in a low voice.

"I don't know Dad. You know it isn't me. You taught me better than that." Jade said, seeing Xenophilius nod.

"But whatever is going on, I don't want you to be here. It's unsafe and could harm you or Luna." Xenophilius said.

Jade stepped closer to her Dad, looking around to see if anyone was overhearing or watching.

"Dad this is my first chance. This could be my first kill. Imagine I catch and end whoever is behind this…I could prevent another death." Jade whispered. Xenophilius frowned and Jade knew that he thought she wasn't ready.

"You can't protect me forever Dad. All these years of teaching me what I am and what I need to do will happen is inevitable. I'm ready now, I know I am." Jade said.

Xenophilius sighed, looking around. "Do you at least know who did it?" he asked.

"Someone from Gryffindor. The night Romilda Vane was killed; she had a partially torn badge from Gryffindor. She ripped it off during the struggle." Jade said, seeing Xenophilius nod.

"Anything else?" he asked, seeing her shake her head. "Find the spawn of the devil who did this. You know what to do." Xenophilius said, seeing Jade nod.

"Hey Mr. Lovegood!" a cheery voice said.

They saw Colin Creevey walking towards them. Xenophilius raised his thin white eyebrows and Jade clenched her jaw.

"Colin Creevey. I'm courting your daughter." He said.

"Er…Jade failed to tell me this?" Xenophilius said looking at Jade, uncomfortable to the idea of his daughter dating.

"What Colin failed to tell _you_ Dad is that he is still under the impression that we are pursuing any sort of relationship whether it be physical or emotional." Jade said calmly.

Colin blinked, taking a few seconds to process that information.

"Ah, yes. Often psychiatric consultation is required for disorders such as what Mr. Creevey is suffering from. Do your parents know that you experience delusions Mr. Creevey?" Xenophilius asked. Jade smirked, seeing Colin redden with embarrassment.

"You should get that checked out." Jade said. Colin turned around and left as quickly as he came.

"What House is he from?" Xenophilius asked, his eyes still stuck on Colin.

"Gryffindor." Jade said, watching Colin.

"His upper lip is swollen. He keeps poking his tongue at it. Is that normal for him?" he asked. Jade narrowed her eyes.

"No…do you suspect that it's him who's doing all of this?" Jade asked, seeing Xenophilius shrug.

"It doesn't prove anything. It could be an allergic reaction for all we know." Xenophilius said.

"I'm pretty sure he's not allergic to anything. One of the many things about dating…you get to learn almost every single thing about the other person." Jade sighed.

"And they should never know who you really are. Be careful Jade." Xenophilius said, seeing Jade nod. He placed a small kiss on her forehead and left to say goodbye to Luna.

* * *

Jade walked over to the Hospital Wing, holding a white paper bag from Honeydukes. Madame Pomferey was inside, rapidly scribbling something down, her face worn from worry and exhaustion. Jade knocked on the door, seeing Madame Pomferey look up. Her face lightened in surprise and she smiled.

"Jade! It's so good to see you!" she said as Jade smiled back, holding up the Honeydukes bag.

"Bought you your favorite." Jade said, walking in. "Fizzing Whizbees and Chocoballs!" Jade said, setting them down on Madame Pomferey's table.

"How did you know I was suddenly craving for these? You know you're going to make me fat before I turn sixty." She said, reaching into the bag to take out a Chocoball.

"A mission I have yet to accomplish. You keep growing younger every day." Jade said, seeing Madame Pomferey giggle. "And it's the least I could do…with all that's going on nowadays. Two murders already in Hogwarts." Jade said, seeing Madame Pomferey sigh heavily.

"I haven't seen anything like this in my entire life. Such brutal murders. The Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets doesn't compare to a living being…a _student_ running around and doing this." Madame Pomferey said.

"I stumbled across both bodies both times now. Whoever's doing this loves to slash throats." Jade said, tracing across her neck.

"Very true. Both girls have put up a fight. It seemed as if Miss Vane clawed at her attacker quite vigorously. Her nails were chipped, broken and bleeding but the Aurors could only find fibers from clothes." She said.

"No skin or blood that came from the attacker?" Jade asked, seeing Madame Pomferey shake her head.

"But the interesting thing about Matilda's case was that there were very light teeth marks behind her head. Matilda might have hit her head against the attacker's teeth." Madame Pomferey said. Jade nodded. This matched up to Colin's case and the reason why he had been sucking his teeth all morning.

"I have to go. Classes tomorrow and I need to be prepared. Finish the sweets for me and I'll bring you another bag." Jade said getting up.

"If other students were just like you." Madame Pomferey said. Jade left the Hospital Wing and went straight to the hallways. She wasn't completely sure yet. Gryffindor had hundreds of students and all were possible suspects. The only sure way she could know was to look through Colin's things. There, she would be able to find the evidence she needed that could point Colin to the scene of the murder. She went straight to the Gryffindor common room, knowing that it was lunch time.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked.

"Ursa Major." Jade said.

The portrait swung open and Jade walked in, looking around, listening closely. She walked up the stairs to the boy's corridor, listening closely around in case anyone were to come out. Jade walked up to Colin's room and slowly pushed the door, seeing that no one was inside. Quickly, Jade slipped in and closed the door behind her, sweeping her eyes around for anybody. Just like any other Hogwarts boy, Colin was filthy. Clothes were all over the floor and the room smelled of armpits and

"Blood." Jade whispered, seeing a single drop of blood next to Colin's bed stand. She dropped down to her knees and pulled out the drawers from under his bed. She rummaged through the clothes, finding nothing at all. None of his robes, shirts or pants were there to tell Jade that he had been guilty of such crime.

"Where are you?" Jade whispered, looking around. Her eye caught a small piece of cloth from under Colin's mattress. She immediately lifted the mattress, seeing the neatly folded and pressed robes, pants and shirts that were bloodstained. Jade's heart pounded and she fingered the robe, seeing the partially torn emblem.

"I'm ready for you now Colin." Jade said.


	6. Part One: Torporis

Colin looked through the hallways for Jade. His patience was running thin and was angered that she had the nerve to make comments about him with her snarky father no less. This time he was going to make it personal. He was going to hurt one of the people that she actually cared about and if she didn't come to his arms immediately, he was done with her. He walked into the Gryffindor common room, running up to the stairs to his dormitory. Consciously, he looked around to see if anyone was around the room. He took off his robe and tossed it on his bed, sighing deeply. He turned around and paused, looking at the bed strangely. For some odd reason, he felt as if someone had walked in and looked around.

To make sure, Colin lifted the mattress, finding his bloody clothes and a note with smile drawn on it.

 _'Three can keep a secret, if two are dead.'_ It read.

Colin's ears turned red and he panicked. He wildly looked around, seeing that no one else was in his room. Who would know about this? Colin drew out his wand and pointed to his bed, igniting it on fire. He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He walked down the stairs, seeing that Ginny, Ron and Harry were there, talking to each other but no Hermione.

He walked out of the common room and into the empty corridor. It was as if luck had favored him this time again. He would take someone from Jade and she would regret ever leaving him. Colin saw Hermione walking towards him, untangling a knot from her hair. He saw a room nearby and opened the door.

"Hermione!" he called, seeing her look up.

"Colin? What is it? Why do you look so scared?" Hermione asked.

"T-T-There's a body! She's still alive!" Colin said.

Hermione's eyes widened and she ran into the room with him. Hermione scanned the room, looking for a body but found none. "I don't see-" she stopped, turning around to see Colin clench his jaw.

"It's you." Hermione whispered, seeing Colin try to laugh, but the nervousness got the best of him.

"We don't have enough time. If you shut up and let me do my job, I'll make it fast and easy for you." Colin said, advancing towards her. He slid a sharp and small dagger from his ankle and held it in front of Hermione.

"Please don't do this Colin. You don't have to, please." Hermione begged.

"Not now, not-" Colin stopped, seeing Hermione's body go rigid and fall backwards. "What the fuck?" Colin asked.

Jade walked out from the shadows behind him, pointing her wand to his spine.

" _Torporis_." She said. Colin went limp and fell into Jade's arms.

Before he blacked out, he heard her whisper in his ear. "You don't get to hurt my friends."


	7. End Of Part One: A Monster Born

Colin woke up, feeling the glare of a light hanging on top of him. He saw a picture of Romilda Vane and Matilda Whyte smiling back at him and his stomach churned, seeing their faces. He looked down, seeing that his he was stark naked and his hands and feet were immovable, as if an invisible rope tied them down. He moved, wriggled, anything to try and escape but failed.

"Hello?! HELLO?!" he yelled.

"Looks like your beauty rest wore off quite well. You're especially glowing today." Jade said, walking towards him.

She was wearing her simple Hogwarts uniform but had plastic wrapped around her feet, legs and arms. Her hair was tied into a bun and she was wearing a soft blue plastic shower cap over her head.

"Jade? Jade, what the fuck is going on? Why do you have me here like this?" Colin asked.

Jade smirked, reaching for her dragon hide gloves.

"What do you think is going on Colin? Think carefully…the right answer might set you free." Jade said, wiggling her fingers into her gloves.

"You didn't think I killed Romilda or Matilda? That's crazy Jade." Colin said, laughing nervously.

Jade smiled, seeing him laugh. She laughed along with him and Colin grinned.

"Come on love. Break me out of this will you? I'm getting kind of cold." He said, seeing her grin even more.

"Then get used to it _love_. You're going to be rotting between these cold walls for the rest of your life." Jade said, taking out a rather large and jagged rock. She turned it in her hand, looking at it keenly and slid her eyes slowly to Colin who gaped.

"It's my first time. I think I'm nervous." Jade said, wondering where she should start.

It was like a small child being set loose in a toy store. Where to hit first?

"Nervous? NERVOUS?! You've got to be fucking kidding me. You can't kill me and leave me here. Stop joking around and being a bitch and let me the fuck go!" Colin yelled.

"You're not winning me over here, Colin. Hold still." Jade said raising her arm to strike.

"ARRRRRRRGHHHHHH!" Colin screamed from the top of his lungs. "YOU CRAZY BITCH! SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME! SOMEONE STOP HER! HELP ME! HELP! HELP!" He screamed.

"There's no use. You're a few miles under the school." Jade said.

"Why are you doing this to me? Please let me go. I never tried to hurt you Jade. Please don't kill me." He begged, crying.

"Tell me Colin…did Romilda and Matilda say the same thing before you killed them?" Jade asked.

Colin sobbed, not being able to answer Jade.

"Why did you kill them anyways?"

"Why do you think I killed them?" Colin asked.

"See, now you're getting on my nerves." Jade said, poking his forehead firmly.

"I did it because I wanted you to come back to me Jade." Colin said.

Jade furrowed her eyebrows and leaned against the table. "I'm sorry. I can't think of why any girl would find you murdering two innocent people to be charming." Jade said.

"I wanted you to be afraid. I wanted you to scare you into thinking that you needed me to protect you from a murderer. Why are you smiling?" Colin asked, starting to cry.

Jade watched him, smiling eerily.

"I'm just gobsmacked at the irony…that's all." She said, flipping the rock in her hand.

"You're not a killer. You're not like this." Colin said.

"I'm exactly what you think I am. I'm a monster…not the monster like you are, no." Jade said.

" _Fuck you_. Those bitches deserved it." Colin spat.

Jade lifted the rock and struck as hard as she could into his chest. Colin choked and jolted while Jade pulled the rock out again and beat him until he was surely dead.

"So did you." Jade said, seeing the blood pour from his body, onto the table and finally on the plastic wrapped floor.

* * *

"You don't remember anything else except for Colin and the knife he was holding?" Jade asked Hermione who shook her head, rubbing her forehead.

"Did they at least catch the bastard?" Hermione asked, seeing Jade, Harry, Ron and Ginny shrug.

"The Professors and Aurors said he just disappeared. He could be anywhere by now." Ginny said.

' _Or in a secret chamber a few miles below Hogwarts._ ' Jade thought.

"Hoping that he's dead, torn into pieces and becoming maggot food is wishful thinking at best." Hermione said.

"You never know. Wishes do come true." Jade said.

"I'm so glad you aren't hurt." Ron said. Hermione's face softened and she felt his hand.

"Who else would have done my homework?" Ron asked.

Everyone burst into laughter and Hermione threw his hand slapping it hand away.


	8. Part Two: Body Parts

**8 Years Later**

The dark hole in Jade's life came swimming back to her. It was agitated and hungry, waiting for weeks for a new kill. Jade sat back in her car, looking out of the window. She was drumming her fingers lightly against the steering wheel, waiting patiently. John Hammish walked out of the small cottage in the woods with a large garbage bag in his hand. He didn't even care to look around to be careful. They were in the woods. Was he going to expect that there was a serial killer watching his every step? Unfortunately for him, he had Jade's full attention. He walked towards his car and dropped the bag on the ground as he fished for his keys in his pockets.

" _Torporis_." John crumbled into Jade's arms and she dragged him off into the cottage, taking the garbage bag along with them. Jade prepared the cottage, sealing the walls and floor with plastic so not even a drop of blood would be left behind. She dragged John onto the table and locked his arms and legs.

John slowly stirred awake, looking around the plastic wrapped room. His tried to scream but his mouth was covered with heavy duty duct tape. He started shaking, looking around wildly.

"Let's keep this short. I have to write up a report when I get home and catch a few hours of sleep before I go to work tomorrow." Jade said, pushing John's table upright.

In front of John was the body of a dead little girl. John's eyes widened and he screamed as Jade walked in front of him. She was wearing what she always wore during her killings. A long sleeved black shirt with dark brown pants. She lifted a plastic shield from her face and took off her thick dragon hide gloves.

"It's a shame actually. I could have prevented another death but you decided to kill on the night I wanted to kill you." Jade said, softly brushing the little girl's hair from her face. Jade sighed and looked up to John who still held the petrified expression.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners? You probably have something to say." Jade said, ripping the duct tape off of his mouth.

"I can't help it. I had to do it. You don't understand, I had to." John cried.

Jade stared at him, her eyes piercing into his soul.

"I understand perfectly…but what I don't understand are _kids_. Little girls you've raped and stabbed…why them?" Jade asked, seeing John sob and look down.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't know." He said.

"Sorry won't bring their lives back. No matter how much you beg and plead." Jade said, brandishing one of her knives in front of John.

* * *

Jade quickly packed up and stuffed John Hammish's body parts into a plastic bag. She gently carried the little girl to the backyard and placed her in a grave that Jade had dug up. In her years of killing people, she never touched a child. But for others to bring harm to a child, Jade wasn't the one to stand for it. She placed the last bit of dirt on the little girl's grave and tossed the shovel away. Jade apparated to Ipswich, where she dumped John Hammish's body parts into the North Sea. She went back to her home in London where she also had work a few hours later.

For the last 4 years, Jade found a job in London, working for muggle forensics. She mostly did lab work and scavenged the crime scenes. After graduating from Hogwarts, Jade got accepted into a medical school just like her father had planned for her. When it was time for her to get a job however, she applied for a job in the Ministry. To her horror, wizards and witches kept their deaths clean. A simple 'Avada Kedavra' ended another's life. No blood, no interest. Even though Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Harry worked at the Ministry, it just wasn't the same for her. Muggles didn't have wands and their deaths were almost always messy. As much as it disturbed everyone else, Jade felt exhilarated when she was called in to a brutal crime scene. The blood, the bodies and the scent of a new kill was all Jade could ever ask for.

Jade took off her clothes and stepped into the shower, taking a long hot shower. It was only three in the morning, leaving Jade six hours until she got ready for work.

* * *

The building that Jade stood in front of had only been two years old. An elongated and red bricked building, it had very sophisticated technology that Jade and the other technicians used to process their crime scenes. There were standard police cars, the grey, blue and orange ones that sat outside, ready to go unless dispatch called them in and there was a special space for the fancy blue and yellow Porches for Merlin knows what. The building was one of the newest police departments in London, the city of lots of blood and crime for Jade.

"Good morning Lovegood." The police officer at the front desk nodded to Jade who smiled and nodded back.

"How was little Jimmy's birthday?" Jade asked, seeing her smile.

"Couldn't have asked for anything better! Wished you would have made it!" she said as Jade entered the elevator.

"Crime fighting after hours…what can you do?" Jade asked.

The doors started to close but Liam ran towards it, holding a rack of four coffee cups in his hands.

"Hold the door! Hold the door!" he yelled. Jade quickly stuck her hand out, preventing the doors from closing and Liam slid through, thanking Jade profusely.

"Thank God! You know, if you didn't hold those doors for me, I would have had to wait 15 minutes for the next one to come and the coffee would have gotten cold." Liam said, wiping the coffee lids with a tissue.

Liam was an officer, just like the rest of the building with the exception of the Inspectors, sergeants and superintendents. He was a short but boyishly handsome man, just at Jade's age with sandy brown hair and dark brown eyes. His lips were always pink and to his dismay, was teased and called 'Pinky', a nickname that stuck to him for good. Jade had known and worked with him for her four years of working at the police department and depressingly enough, he had stood in his position as an officer. Liam was never promoted and hated to walk around outside wearing a uniform.

"Why do you get coffee in the first place?" Jade asked. Liam looked offended at Jade's question.

"Why do I get coffee for them? Are you kidding me Jade? How else am I going to get promoted? If I don't kiss arse then who will?" Liam asked.

"Yes, look where it led them and look where it led you." Jade said. Liam rolled his eyes.

"You're a jerk; fuck you…in the nicest way possible." Liam said, seeing Jade smile.

The doors opened and Sergeant Vincent appeared in front of the doors. He was a towering and heavily muscled man with a gash like scar across his left eyebrow. Rumor had it was that, that was the eyebrow that got him promoted from his rank by saving and arresting ten drug dealers from a warehouse.

"What took you so long?" he asked, plucking a cup from Liam's hand.

"Sorry Sergeant, the coffee lady-"

"Save it Pinky." Vincent snapped. He walked into the elevators as Jade and Liam stepped out. They both walked into the main department where the officers walked in and out.

"Do you think I should ask them for a promotion?" Liam asked, before he walked towards Lieutenant Marshall and Inspector Thatcher's conversation.

"I wouldn't say now would be a good time." Jade said.

"Look who dragged the homosapiens in this morning!" a cheery voice said.

Jade turned around to Corey Johnson, a pixie like satyr in all kinds of definitions. He had cherry dark hair and light green eyes with a tiny diamond nose piercing. Corey was one of the most attractive men in the department but worked as a forensics investigator with Jade, sharing the same lab and workspace. His sense of humor was a few notches up the normal requirement for human society, hence the bright and offensive T-shirts he would wear with his lab coat.

"Nice T-shirt, where did you get it from, Hookers R Us?" Liam asked, seeing Corey's neon yellow shirt that read _'You Can Homo Erect Me Any Day'_.

"I'm not the one serving coffee and getting butt fucked at the same time Pinky The Multitasker!" Corey said, thrusting his hips repeatedly.

"I'm not a part of this." Jade said walking away.

"Hey! Johnson! Cut it out, this is the police department, not a goddamn breeding pen!" the Lieutenant yelled. Corey stopped and stood up straight with a goofy grin on his face.

"Ha, ha, he said Johnson, cut it out…get it?" Corey asked Jade who looked mortified.

"No…not really." Jade said.

"Jade!" Marshall called, walking towards Jade with Inspector Thatcher.

"Lieutenant, Inspector." Jade said, seeing Marshall wink at her…whatever that meant. "I've completed the DNA reports for the Dole Rodger's case. The suspect's DNA was consistent with the blood and hair samples in the crime scene. All a match." Jade said, handing the reports to Inspector Thatcher who took it from Jade.

"Good work Lovegood." Thatcher said, not meaning a word of it.

"As always. May I see you in my office Lovegood?" Marshall asked, still smiling at Jade.

"Of course." Jade said, seeing him nod. He turned around and took his coffee from Liam as well as Thatcher and walked back into his office with Thatcher following.

"No thank you." Liam muttered, tossing the cardboard tray into the trash can.

"Word has it, there's a big case." Corey said, crossing his arms while looking at the Lieutenant's office where the blinds and door were shut.

"How big?" Liam asked, seeing Corey grin. "Oh please! Don't fucking start!" Liam jumped before Corey made a sexual innuendo out of it.

"Massive! A witness called in an hour ago about body parts that were basically packed like meat somewhere in King's Cross." Corey said.

"Body parts?" Jade asked, seeing Corey nod.

"The Prime Minister is in that office…with some other weird old guy in a dress." Corey said.

Liam's eyes widened, hearing 'Prime Minister'.

"The Prime Minister? The Prime fucking Minister? Of Britain?" Liam gasped.

Corey looked sad. "I feel sorry for you." he said.

"Why are they calling you? Why can't they call me?" Liam asked.

"Maybe they need some forensic consultation? You're pretty bright aren't you?" Corey asked.

"Fuck off." Liam said.

"Which reminds me!" Corey started.

"I better go." Jade said leaving.

She felt nervous to approach the Lieutenant's office. The prime minister was inside and they were expecting her. She never left body parts lying around in Kings Cross; they were rotting in the North Sea where Jade put them. Jade knocked on the door and Marshall opened it, letting her in.

"Ministers, may I have the pleasure of introducing you to our forensic specialist Jade Lovegood? Jade this is the Prime Minister of Britain and the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour."


	9. Part Two: Officer Wallace

Jade froze, seeing Rufus Scrimgeour stand up to greet her. She looked back at Marshall and Thatcher who stood there with their hands folded behind their backs.

 _'What is the Minister of Magic doing here?'_ Jade thought.

"You must be wondering why the Minister of Magic is here." Marshall said.

"Or more importantly why you were called down here." Rufus said.

"It would be nice to hear some answers." Jade nodded.

"We know you're a wizard, Jade." Marshall said.

"A witch actually." Thatcher said, narrowing her eyes at Jade.

"Anyways…" Marshall went on, ignoring Thatcher. "The reason why you have been called down here was because someone found an unidentified body or shall I say body pieces at the King's Cross station." Marshall said.

"Platform 9 ¾?" Jade asked, seeing them look surprised.

"Yes…that's right. How did you know that?" the Prime Minister asked. Jade turned around, seeing that the minister looked much different in person than on television.

"Oh…just a wild guess, really. If the Minister of Magic was here, there must be some concern with the only magical transit in King's cross." Jade said.

"I told you she was good." Marshall said with a grin.

"It's just logical reasoning, that's it." Jade said uncomfortably.

"Well no need to act so modest about it. We only bought you down here because you were a _witch_." Thatcher said quickly.

Jade nodded immediately. "You're absolutely right." Jade said.

"Now, now Inspector. That's not the only reason why she was called down here. She has the credibility and a very unique perspective on a lot of our cases." Marshall said, trying to ease Thatcher down. He turned to the ministers and smiled. "Almost all of our big cases were won by Miss Lovegood. She is one of the biggest reasons why we have convicted so many criminals in the last four years." Marshall said.

Jade looked at Thatcher, starting to see wisps of heat start to come out from her eyes and nostrils. For some reason, Thatcher didn't like her, especially from the day Jade had joined. As much as Jade tried to act normal or friendly towards Thatcher, it would be as if she rubbed her the wrong way. Marshall adding in his thoughts and praises about Jade never helped much either, it only worsened the tension. Most women didn't like Jade who was thrown off and confused. To her, women were very complex creatures but Jade gave them credit for being highly intuitive because they seemed to see her for who she really was; fake.

"Well we hope you can prove it. Platform 9 ¾ has been secured and preserved for your forensic team to move in and investigate. We can't take all day so we need to get there as soon as possible." Rufus Scrimgeour said, getting up.

"We need to keep this case on a low profile. If the word gets out that there is a magical world, there will be chaos. That's why we're restricting this to few select people. Utilize your team well Lieutenant." The prime minister said, buttoning his jacket.

"Understood sir." Marshall said.

Both of the ministers left and Jade stood there, giving a reassuring smile to Marshall and Thatcher.

"Gather your forensic team Miss Lovegood. You have approximately ten minutes to choose who to share this case with." Marshall said.

"Really? Me?" Jade asked.

"Walter what does she know about assembling a team?" Thatcher asked.

"Regina." Marshall said all traces of sincerity and patience gone. "Both Ministers requested Jade for this case. Now we will do whatever is needed to be done to make Jade feel as comfortable possible to work efficiently. If you or anyone else has an objection, please feel free to remove yourself from this case. Is that understood?" Marshall asked.

Thatcher was white lipped and Jade looked at her from Marshall.

"Very." Thatcher said. She left the office, slamming the door behind her.

"Don't mind Inspector Thatcher. She can be too straightforward sometimes." Marshall said, touching Jade's shoulder.

Jade looked down to his hand, seeing him rub her shoulder. She didn't know if she should have been disgusted or comforted, either way, it was unsettling. Not only was Marshall her boss, he was as old as her father.

"I don't mind Inspector Thatcher…but I should be getting back to the lab. Lots of decisions to be made." Jade said, stepping away from Lieutenant Marshall.

"Remember, ten minutes. Make your picks strong." He said, seeing Jade nod.

Jade quickly left the office and darted for the laboratory where Liam and Corey looked into the microscope, guffawing.

" _That_ one looks an uncircumcised penis." Corey said. Liam made a face at Corey.

"Jesus Corey, you're fucking _nasty_." Liam said.

Corey looked up, seeing Jade walk in. "Hey Jade, want to play? We're looking at different types of bacteria and telling each other what they look like. Loser pays for a lap dance." Corey said, seeing Jade look through the blinds.

"I'm not sure I want to play that game." Jade said.

"Whoa, what happened with the big P.M. meeting? Why did they call you in?" Liam asked, getting up from his seat.

"Lieutenant wants me to assemble a team to take down to King's Cross. Both Ministers want to keep this case as quiet as possible." Jade said, looking at Thatcher who furiously flipped through a few files.

"That's easy; your first pick is going to be me." Corey said, sitting back and unwrapping a chocolate bar.

"Why the hell would she pick you?" Liam asked.

"Actually I wouldn't be able to do all the lab work myself. Corey and I are the only forensic technicians in this department." Jade said.

"And officers? What did they say about that?" Liam asked frantically.

"So far, it's the Lieutenant and Inspector Thatcher. I don't know who else to pick." Jade said, finally looking back at Corey and Liam.

"Jade, you _have_ to pick me. I swear I will do anything you want me to. I'll hold interviews and just what the fuck ever you want me to do. _Please_ Jade this is my one way ticket out of this fucked up and tight shit uniform!" Liam breathed.

"How _bad_ do you want it?" Corey asked, wagging his eyebrows.

"Just don't try to hug or kiss me." Jade said.

Liam's mouth dropped open and he stared at Jade.

"Are you fucking serious?" Liam asked and Jade nodded.

"Quite serious. No hugging or kissing." Jade said.

"No! I meant having me on this case? You want me on this case?" he asked.

"Why not?" Jade shrugged.

"Sweet motherfuckers of Ireland! I've got me first case!" Liam screeched, jumping up. Jade took a step back and Corey wheeled himself back from Liam who started to jump up and down, ecstatic. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I could fucking kiss you right now but you warned me!" Liam said to Jade who gave him a nervous smile.

"Thank Merlin I did." She said.

The door knocked and Jade opened it to see Lieutenant Marshall standing there with Inspector Thatcher behind him.

"Have you come to a decision Jade?" Marshall asked. Jade nodded, turning towards Corey and Liam.

"I'm taking Johnson and Wallace along." Jade said. Marshall and Thatcher raised their eyebrows at the mention of Liam.

"Are you _certain_ with your…choices?" Marshall asked.

"Pinky? You're taking Pinky for this case? Fuck me." Thatcher said, rolling her eyes. Liam's smile vanished and he shrunk back.

"Actually I chose Liam because he has more years of experience handling witnesses and bringing in informants than any of the officers in our department." Jade said.

"Are you kidding me? We all can gather witnesses and confidential informants. What makes Pinky so special?" Thatcher countered, eyeing Liam dangerously who by this point was completely demoralized.

"Officer Wallace." Jade said, staring at Thatcher for a few seconds before continuing. "Officer Wallace has personal access to the authorized security videos at King's Cross. Which would take us a few weeks from acquiring the tapes because of all the unnecessary paperwork. Officer Wallace's Uncle handles the security footage and who knows; we could probably get a face by today and have a conviction by the end of this week. The faster this case ends, the happier the Ministers will be." Jade said, looking at Marshall who beamed.

"I love the way you think Lovegood! We're happy to have you on board Officer Wallace!" he said, clapping Liam's shoulder.

"T-Thank you Lieutenant." Liam stammered. Marshall nodded and left with Thatcher in disbelief.

"Thatcher's got a steel bullet up her butt." Corey said getting up.

"Did you see her face? Like she just found out someone pissed on her grave." Liam said.

"You better be careful. She's going to take you down with any excuse she can think of." Jade said. Liam wrapped his arms around Jade, hugging her tightly. Jade responded by standing there rigidly, not knowing how to return the hug.

"I know you don't like the whole hugging thing but…" Liam said, swallowing his emotions. "You really stood up for me. You're like my best fucking friend…thank you." he said, seeing Jade nod. He was genuine and so were his emotions. If he were to cry in front of her, she wouldn't know what to do but thankfully he didn't. He sucked everything up and smiled at Jade who couldn't feel anything to share the happiness with Liam.

"We have to go…the Ministers are waiting for us there." Jade said.

"I call shotgun!" Corey jumped, shrugging off of his lab coat.


	10. Part Two: No Blood

Jade rolled up to the King's Cross station and stopped as an officer walked towards her car. Jade and Corey flashed him their credentials and he nodded, letting them pass through.

"Sometimes I wish I can have a badge." Corey said, looking behind, seeing Liam behind them with his police car.

"Why?" Jade asked, taking the keys out of the ignition. They unbuckled and got out of the car, grabbing their belongings.

"Do you know how many free drinks you can get with that? And you don't even need to wait in line when you go clubbing. Flash the badge and tell the bouncer that you're here for an investigation and WHAM…you're in!" Corey said.

"Hey, how does this look on me?" Liam asked, wearing a pair of aviator glasses. "Do I look like I'm going to get promoted or what?" Liam asked, fixing his hair.

"You look like you're ready to crash a bachelor party and strip down to your metallic colored thong. By the way, what color is it today?" Corey asked, seeing Liam's lip curl with disgust.

"I don't wear thongs. What straight man wears thongs?" Liam asked, seeing Corey chuckle.

"Spend a night with me and I'll show you how." Corey winked. Liam leaned away.

"You've got problems Corey…like legit issues. You should go see a shrink." Liam said.

Jade walked into the station and another police officer stopped her before going in. "Forensics." Jade said, showing her identification that hung from her neck. Jade, Corey and Liam walked towards Platform 9 ¾ where Marshall, Thatcher and Hermione Weasley stood near, talking to each other.

"There she is." Marshall said, pointing to Jade.

"Jade!" Hermione said, kissing Jade's cheek.

"Mrs. Weasley was just telling us that you two know each other." Marshall said.

"Since Hogwarts." Jade said, seeing Marshall and Thatcher give her a confused look.

"It's a school. Anyways, let's forget about that. Come Jade, you have to see this." Hermione said, leading Jade towards Platform 9 ¾.

"I don't see any body parts." Liam said, looking around. Hermione turned around to look at him and blinked.

"You are?" Hermione asked.

"Liam Wallace, I'm on Jade's team." Liam said, shaking Hermione's hand who greeted him warmly.

"Well it's very nice to meet you Liam." She said.

"I'm Corey; I work in forensics with Jade." Corey said and Hermione smiled, shaking his hand as well.

"I'm Hermione Granger, Head of the Auror Department and Jade's best friend." Hermione said.

"No shit! We're her best friends too!" Liam said excitedly.

"Are you both wizards?" Hermione asked.

Corey and Liam gave Hermione the exact look a muggle would look when a wizard asked them a question like that.

"Are we both wizards? Like a fucking crystal ball, a broom that flies and all that jazz?" Corey asked.

"Um…yes." Hermione said.

Corey and Liam started laughing uproariously and everyone turned around to look at them. Jade looked around nervously, seeing her superiors staring at them. Maybe taking Liam and Corey along wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Minnie, you are _funny_." Liam said.

"It's _Her-my-oh-nee._ " She said.

"They don't understand actually. They're muggles." Jade explained to Hermione.

"What did you call us?" Corey asked.

"I think explaining will take an extremely long time and frankly speaking, we can't afford it. I'm afraid they're just going to learn without briefing." Hermione said.

"Sounds good." Jade said, following Hermione.

"What? Learn what? Are we-" Liam instantly shut up when he saw Hermione walk through the brick wall. Jade looked at her friends, seeing them stare open mouthed.

It was thoroughly amusing, a bit more fun than killing people, to see your own friends realize that you were something that they never dreamed of...the irony.

"Sweet mother of Jesus…" Liam started to pray.

"I _knew_ it! This is the government's doing! It's all a conspiracy!" Corey said, looking at the brick wall again.

"I'll see you both on the other side." Jade said.

She walked through the brick wall and in an instant, she was at the very station where the Hogwarts Express picked her up and dropped her off for the seven eventful years of her life. She walked towards the crime scene where the pieces of the body were lying around and next to it were folded yellow cards standing near each of them.

"Look who made it." a voice said. Jade tore her eyes away from the body and looked at Harry who was standing in front of her, grinning.

"Hey Harry." Jade said, as he kissed her cheek.

"It's a good thing our departments are working together now…not so good for the victim though." Harry said, nodding at the body.

"Did you confirm the death?" Jade asked, walking towards the body.

"No, we were waiting for you guys. By the way, us Wizarding people think you muggles are arrogant." He said, seeing Jade smile and set up her camera.

"You're not the only ones who think muggles are arrogant, muggles do too." Jade said.

"Where are these sons of bitches anyways?" Blaise Zabini asked, walking towards Harry who looked around to see if anyone from Jade's department were around. Blaise had long straight black hair and dark brown eyes.

"Blaise you have to keep your bloody voice down." Harry ordered.

"Er, sorry." Blaise said, looking at Jade. "Are you the muggles?" she asked.

"Blaise I wish you were a radio so I could turn you off!" an irritable voice said.

Jade saw Draco walking towards them. The last time she had ever seen him was eight years ago when they received their diplomas. Physically he had matured than his slender and pointed figure in Hogwarts. He added a little more muscle and was quite leaner. He looked surprised to see her, just as she was to see him.

"Why does everyone tell me to shut it? Do I look like I'm in the mood to be _quiet_? This is a crime scene! Speaking and screaming is encouraged! What do you do when you see a dead body-"

" _SHUT UP!"_ Harry yelled.

Blaise clamped her mouth shut but Jade felt the after effects of her voice ringing in her ear.

"Excuse me while I inspect the body." Jade said, walking away.

Jade stood over the body, seeing two feet, two legs, two thighs, a lower torso, an upper torso, two arms and one hand. Images ran through her mind and there were a million questions and discussions running through her mind but there was something that seized Jade entirely. "No blood." She said. It was mind boggling. The flesh was intact and the cores of the bones were seen but not even a drop of blood anywhere. She couldn't figure it out and most importantly, it sent her nearly helpless. She looked around, trying to find at least one speck but couldn't. She looked up, seeing a camera filming nearby and looked back down to the body.

Whoever the killer was, he was meticulous and a genius. Jade would have loved to shake his hand…before she killed him of course.

"It's a nice camera you've got there." Draco said, appearing next to her.

Jade quickly looked up, meeting Draco's eyes. He slightly narrowed his eyes, trying to take a glimpse of her mind but Jade looked away, mentally shutting down. She was always prepared to shut her thoughts down to other wizards especially Hermione and Harry who were highly skilled in Legilimency. If even the smallest glimpse of her memories were exposed, her life would be over. They would know who she really was and the years of taming the monster in her would be for nothing. She would visit Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Luna from time to time and learn to perform Occulmency while around them but she was around muggles almost always, sometimes she wasn't fully prepared to shut down as quickly as she'd like.

"Yes. It's very useful for detail." Jade said, looking back up to Draco who kept his thoughts sealed.

"Very romantic." He said, catching her off guard.

"Er…pardon me?" Jade asked.

"The body I mean." Draco said without embarrassment. He looked back at the body and cocked his head at an angle as he gestured his hand toward it. "It's very poetic, the way the body is presented to us. Like the killer is playing at something." Draco said.

Jade scrutinized him. In the last four years, she never met anyone that appreciated the 'art' of murder. Everyone that she knew or saw had a very negative reaction to whatever they saw which was predictable and annoying as well. To see that someone else shared the same fascination and admired the work intrigued her. Draco turned around, looking back at Jade.

"What?" he smiled.

"I just didn't expect your reaction, that's all." Jade said. Draco smirked and placed his hands into his pockets.

"Well that's because we hardly know each other." He said.

 _'You can say that again.'_ Jade thought.

"Can you say fuck me sideways and blow me twice? You're a fucking magical person?" Liam shouted.

Everyone stopped to stare.

"Can you stop doing that? You attract attention." Jade said.

"You owe us magical strippers! Witches and wizards accepted, thank you very much!" Corey said, just as madly.

"I have _just_ the place for such shows! Have we met?" Blaise piped in. Corey looked at Blaise and Blaise looked at Corey and it was as if a fairytale had come true.

"Stop hitting on anything with two feet and a head." Draco said.

"Potter has two feet and a head; you don't see me hitting on him. It's what's between the legs that count." Blaise said.

"I apologize, Blaise is naturally revolting." Harry said to Corey who bit his lip, his eyes wide with admiration.

"Revolting is my middle name!" Corey exclaimed.

"I'm Blaise, nice to meet you!" Blaise said, holding out his hand to which Corey immediately took.

"I'm Corey; I can already tell we'll bond well!" Corey said, shaking Blaise's hand.

"This is like my worst nightmare." Draco groaned, looking up and shutting his eyes tightly.

Jade shook her head and looked at Liam who scratched his head in confusion.

"I'll explain later but for now, I really need you to find the footage on that camera up there." Jade told Liam, pointing at the camera she saw earlier.

"Fine but owe me a biiiig motherfucking drink…or two." Liam said. He left quickly and Jade looked at Draco who was good humored.

"You both look cute together, albeit he's a little short." Draco said as Jade lifted up her camera.

"He's not my boyfriend. Not only me, he also wouldn't dream of us being together." Jade said.

"So is it safe to assume that you're single?" Draco asked.

Jade paused again. His eyes were smiling but she couldn't break into his thoughts.

"Safe to assume." Jade said.

Draco tipped his head and turned to leave. "Well then, I'll leave you to do your own work." He said. He walked away and Jade looked after him. He was amusing and dangerously interesting. Jade would have never thought to use those adjectives for a man. She turned back around and looked at the body which pulled at her brain even stronger. She took a few pictures at different angles and turned to see Corey deeply immersed in a filthy conversation that included crude hand gestures with Blaise as Draco and Harry chatted, standing a few feet away from them.

"Corey." Jade called, seeing him turn to Jade.

"Yeah Jade?" he asked.

"I need you to tell me the cause of death." Jade said. Corey excused himself from Blaise who looked love struck and jogged towards Jade.

"Isn't she cute?" Corey whispered.

"Charming." Jade said.

Corey snapped on a pair of gloves and squatted down with Jade to inspect the body.

"Not even a drop of blood can you believe that?" Corey asked as Jade sighed deeply.

"No, I can't." Jade said.

"What do we have so far?" Marshall asked.

"Female, five foot five, around 120 pounds in her early twenties. We can't exactly determine the sudden cause of death because face it, she's got no head." Corey said.

"She doesn't have a hand either." Jade said.

"What does that mean?" Thatcher asked. Jade and Corey shrugged.

"Honestly can't say." Jade said.

"Where's Officer Wallace?" Marshall asked.

"He went to retrieve the footage from the camera over there." Jade said, pointing to the camera.

"All right, so here's the big question." Hermione appeared. "Why is there no blood?" Hermione asked.

Even the words 'no blood' made Jade feel unstable.

"Exactly. What does it tell us about our killer? What is he trying to say to us?" Marshall asked.

"The killer is a professional." Corey said. Everyone looked at Corey who moved for them to see the body clearly. "Every cut you see is impeccable. He…or _she_ knew their shit well. From every joint and part, they sliced perfectly, surgical." Corey said.

"And the lack of blood?" Thatcher asked.

" _No idea_." Corey said.

Everyone looked at Jade, expecting her answer.

"We're not quite sure but you should expect another body very soon." Jade said.

"Why the fuck for?" Thatcher asked.

"Regina." Marshall warned.

"I'm sorry but that's his signature on the body. He hand wrapped and gifted us this body and ordinary murderers wouldn't do that, especially if it's well thought out and prepared like this." Jade said, gesturing to the body. "We're going to have another gift from our secret admirer." Jade said.

Thatcher was probably wondering why Jade was so fucked up from the way she was looking at her. Jade gave the rest a few chills up their spines. The body was taken to the morgue and Jade packed her things back.

"Hey Jade, Blaise is going to drop me off. You don't mind do you?" Corey asked.

"No, let her drop you away." Jade said, seeing Corey grin. Corey left and Jade zipped up her bag.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Draco who started to walk up towards her.

"You know I _hope_ to God you still remember to buy me those drinks and explain your double life." Liam said, sliding in front of her, blocking Draco.

"Double life?" Jade asked.

"Fuck shitting yes." Liam nodded.

"Jade, are you free tonight?" Hermione asked with Harry next to her.

"Er-"

"We're having dinner tonight and you can't say no! Hugo and Rose miss you as it is and I've called Luna in anyways." Hermione said.

"Then I guess I'm coming over for dinner." Jade said, seeing Hermione smile.

"See you later then!" Hermione said. She left with Harry and Liam patted Jade's hand.

"I'll be waiting in my car; I know which bar to go." Liam said.

Draco and Jade watched him leave. "You're quite the people person aren't you?" Draco asked.

"Not by choice." Jade said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"It was nice seeing you again." Draco said.

"Same here." Jade said, seeing Draco smile. He gave Jade a small wave and left.


	11. Part Two: Ice, Ice Baby

"So you've been a wizard for _how_ long?" Liam asked, rocking his short glass with scotch and ice.

They sat at a traditional Irish pub that Liam selected to have drinks. It was his third drink so far and he started to get tipsy already.

"Since I was born. My foster parents were wizards as well." Jade said.

"But how do you know you're not human like me?" Liam asked.

"We're _all_ human, Liam." Jade said.

 _'Well no…not really.'_ Jade thought.

"Are you sure you don't want a drink?" Liam asked with a hiccup.

Jade slid off her stool and took Liam's glass from his hand. "Time for you to go home." Jade said, taking his arm.

"It's too early to get drunk." The bartender said.

"I think he's heard that one before." Jade said, pulling Liam out of his stool.

"I can drive!" Liam said as Jade shoved him into her passenger's seat.

After dropping Liam home, on his bed, Jade drove to Hermione and Ron's house.

"Jade!" Ron said when he opened the door.

"I bought wine." Jade said, handing him the wine after he kissed her cheek.

"JAAAAAAADE!" Rose, James, Albus and Hugo yelled.

"Arrgh! Big Bad Jade's come to eat you all alive!" Jade growled, scooping the four screaming and squirming kids in her arms.

Oddly enough, kids were the only people Jade could let her guard down on and never hurt. They never faked their emotions and were always straightforward, never beating around the bush. Surprisingly enough, a sociopath like Jade was great with kids but terrible with adults but she didn't care. Children never judged her.

"James pooped in Mummy's plant again." Albus told Jade who looked at James.

"Don't say that out loud!" James said but it was too late.

"James! What did I tell you about defecating in my plants again?!" Ginny shrieked.

"Isn't fertilizing good for plants?" Ron asked as everyone gave him an odd look.

"Hide me Jade! I don't want Mummy to yell at me again!" James yelled. Jade jogged away from Ginny with the kids in her hands and set them down in the living room.

"Jade!" Luna's soft voice carried.

"Luna!" Jade said, as Luna hugged her.

"I heard there was a big case in Platform 9 ¾. I have a theory on it though, I was just telling Harry and Ron."

"I don't think Blibbering Humdingers are making a secret society to take over the world." Hermione said. Luna blinked at Hermione with her large grey eyes. Jade noticed that she was wearing hot pink and dried up sea urchin earrings. Jade was never the one to point things out about Luna's fashion sense. At least Luna had a sense, Jade only believed in underwear, a comfortable, clean and ironed shirt and pants. An apron as well for her part time hobby.

"You don't believe me now but wait until they come hovering over you to take you as a prisoner." Luna said.

"I think the lamb chops are done!" Ginny said, walking away with a hand on her pregnant stomach.

Everyone sat down for dinner, wine and beer. They spoke about the case with both departments collaborating with each other.

"Originally when we were told that we had to take the London police department's help, you can tell how much we were going to hate it." Harry said, eating a piece of his lamb. Jade sat back with her beer bottle with Albus on her lap.

"Albus you're getting sauce and bits all over your Aunt's pants!" Ginny said, going to move Albus but Jade shook her head.

"They're just pants." Jade said.

"I think your boss appreciates your work a little too much." Hermione said to Jade.

"Oh…Lieutenant Marshall? He's harmless…I guess. I just tend to act aloof when around him." Jade said.

"Did you find an Aurseize yet, Ronald?" Luna asked. Ron looked grim and handed his son his beer bottle.

"I'm going to lose my job with the cases stacking up like this." Ron said, burying his head.

After dinner, Jade and Luna left, saying goodbye to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry and the kids.

"How is work for you at St. Mungos?" Jade asked, driving away from Ron and Hermione's house. Luna sighed happily and relaxed into her seat.

"I really like it Jade. Things are going wonderfully there." Luna said.

"Oh…good." Jade said.

There was a small pause as Jade kept driving.

"I'm seeing someone!" Luna burst out.

Jade tried to think of something to say.

"Nice to know!" Jade said.

"Aren't you going to ask who it is?" Luna asked.

"I figured you were going to tell me anyways." Jade said.

"His name is Rolf." Luna said.

"Rolf?" Jade asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Like the sound a dog makes, Rolf?" Jade asked.

"That's not nice." Luna frowned.

"I'm sorry. Does he work with you?" Jade asked.

"He works in the spell damage wing. Very handsome and so sweet. We sometimes chat about The Quibbler we inherited from our father." Luna said.

Jade hummed to let Luna know that she was listening.

"We should meet. Have dinner one day. I told him so much about you and he is very interested to meet you." Luna said.

It was like Jade was opening up a circus. People left and right were coming in and there was no way she could stop them.

"Oh, okay." Jade said, rolling into Luna's driveway.

"So shall I arrange a dinner between the three of us? Unless you plan to bring a date?" Luna asked.

It was highly unlikely for Jade to bring a date but when she would usually meet Luna's boyfriends, things would get uncomfortable. Not only could Jade not hold up a conversation, she would bore them to death, metaphorically speaking.

"I'll let you know if I bring in someone." Jade said.

"Then it's a date! Goodnight sister, I love you." Luna said.

"Good night!" Jade said.

Luna left the car and Jade made sure Luna got in safely before leaving. Jade's cell phone started to ring and Jade fished it out of her pocket, keeping one firm hand on the wheel.

"Hello." Jade said into the phone.

"It's like a fucking nuclear atom bomb just fucked my mind!" Liam said hurriedly.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep?" Jade asked.

"I'm not drunk. I was just a little tipsy but I'm fine now. By the way, thank you for bringing me back home." Liam said.

"Not a problem." Jade said, stopping at a red light.

"I just woke up a few minutes ago and went to the refrigerator to get ice to soothe my headache and I just got the theory of a motherfucker that could get me the biggest arse banging into homicide!" Liam said.

Jade looked into the phone, shaking her head.

"I must be very poor when reading in between the lines. What exactly are you saying that you want me to understand?" Jade asked.

"Ice baby, ice! The body was preserved in the cold! How else would the fucker drain the blood out and keep the flesh from rotting?" Liam asked.

Jade froze. Suddenly it all made things perfectly clear.

"Why hadn't I thought of that?" Jade asked.

"Ha, ha. I told you, you would need my help." Liam said.

"It's a good theory but you need to back it up a little bit more." Jade said, arriving in her building's parking lot.

"Yeah I know. I need a solid piece of evidence or Thatcher would just torch me alive and spit on me. But you're a witch right? Use your spidey senses and find some evidence for me." Liam said.

"Spider-man references are not appreciated. I have to go Liam, good luck and see you tomorrow." Jade said, shutting off the phone.

She unlocked her door and stepped inside; feeling the calm and cool atmosphere of her apartment soothe her. Everything was spotless and extremely clean the way Jade had left it and should always be. After changing into her home clothes, Jade made a cup of tea and opened up her computer. One by one, she looked at the photos and sat in awe of the masterpiece. Seeing a body of work like that brought back the plunging darkness inside of her. She closed her fist up tightly, starting to get irritated that it was back. It had just been yesterday since she dumped John Hammish's body into the North Sea.

Leaving the pictures behind, Jade pulled up a new face she was soon going to set up a play date with. Marleen Birgitta was an extremely rich widow. Her fourth husband, who was a well-known steel tycoon, had mysteriously died of an asthma attack a few weeks ago, just like her previous husbands. Coincidence? All four of them had a history of asthma and an extremely wealthy background in savings and assets. Marleen was only in her thirties, compared to the sixty plus in age that her deceased husbands were. For now, Jade had to put her away since today had been too much to take in.

"I will see you tomorrow night Miss Birgitta." Jade said, closing her laptop.

* * *

Jade walked into the department the next morning. She greeted the police officers as she walked by.

"Lovegood, we need you in the conference board, we have a meeting." Marshall said as a surge of officers, people with business suits and Chief Inspector Vincent made their way into the room.

"Right behind you Lieutenant." Jade said, seeing Marshall nod.

Jade went to walk forward but collided against someone and the sensation of scalding hot coffee falling on her shirt and quickly running to her pants caught her off guard. Jade jumped back and tugged on her shirt so it wouldn't stick to her skin.

"What the _fuck_? Are you blind?" a familiar voice said.

Jade looked up, seeing Pansy Parkinson snarling at her. She still had her bob with black dress pants and a black jacket over a light blue button up shirt. Jade indulged in the fact that Pansy Parkinson had gone from her life for the last eight years but she only came back to bite her in the arse, or worse, ruin her good shirt.

"I'm very sorry about that, I apologize behalf of Lovegood." Thatcher said immediately who was right by Parkinson's side.

"The creep ruined my coffee." Parkinson snarled, wiping the small drops on her shoes.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Shut the fuck up. Does it look like I want to talk to you?" Parkinson asked.

"I keep telling the Lieutenant to open his eyes and smell the shit that's lying around in the department…but what's a man to do when he's got eyes for garbage." Thatcher said.

"They seem to rot more than they can improve don't they?" Parkinson asked, walking away with her eyes still on Jade.

It would have been nice to see both Thatcher and Parkinson on a table with their arms and legs locked but it never fit under Jade's principles. One could only dream.

"If you had no cream or sugar, you'd be my kind of coffee." Draco said, handing her a wad of tissues.

Jade didn't know what to say. She took the tissue from him and wiped her shirt but it was sopping wet.

"Nice day to wear white. If I knew better I would have worn something else." Jade said, making Draco smile.

"Or just have steered clear." He said.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Liam asked as Jade dried herself up.

"I had a run in with caffeine." Jade said.

"I just finished talking to Corey; we have a positive I.D. on our Jane Doe." Liam said, waving the file at Jade. Jade went to take it from Liam but he took it away, wagging his finger.

"Don't spoil the surprise for yourself just yet sister! We have a meeting to go to!" Liam said, walking off. Corey and Blaise appeared, guffawing.

"We're going to a dance club, want to come with?" Corey asked.

"For what?" Jade asked.

"Just because!" Blaise said.

They walked off towards the room and Draco walked forward, holding the door.

"Ladies first." He said. Jade thanked Draco and walked in with him close behind.

"Settle down and keep quiet everyone." Thatcher said. Jade found a seat next to Corey and sat down as Draco took a seat next to her.

"Officer Wallace has retrieved video footage and we've made a major break in this case." Marshall said, turning towards the projector. Someone shut the lights and they saw a slightly overweight man hurrying to set the body down. He kept looking behind and placed the body parts down.

"What the fuck, it can't be." Draco murmured next to Jade who was equally surprised.

Marshall paused the button and zoomed in on the man's face.

"Everyone, our suspect is Neville Longbottom." Jade looked around, seeing everyone look convinced.

There was no possible way that a person like Neville would be a killer. Not only did Jade personally know him but the only thing Neville was concerned about had been sweaty palms and Severus Snape. Even a room full of officers and criminal officials should have known better than to suspect Neville as a killer.

Liam stood up, ready to propose his new theory. Jade mentally slapped her forehead, hoping that Liam had a solid backup in case the Marshall was going to squash him like an insect.

"Do you have something to say Officer Wallace?" Marshall asked, seeing Liam nervously fidget about.

"I er…I have a…t-theory." Liam said.

"A theory?" Marshall asked, his voice hinting sarcasm.

"Yes sir." Liam said.

"Well let's hear this theory." Marshall said. Liam's cheeks slowly started turning pink.

"Well…the er…ice. The ice is what we're looking at." Liam said.

Marshall and the rest of the room squinted their eyes but Jade was the only one who had her hands in her pockets, staring off into the floor.

"Like a fucking cold truck. With ice. Like…to put the bodies in." Liam said.

"A cold truck with ice. That's cute, are you suggesting our killer might be the ice cream man?" Marshall asked. Liam's smile dropped as the room broke into chuckles.

"Sit down Mr. Wallace; we don't have time to talk about ice and nonsense like that. Anyways, we're looking for Neville Longbottom. He was last seen leaving King's Cross station around 10 p.m. I want a team to investigate his house, his workplace and question anyone for answers." The Lieutenant said.

Everyone started filing out and Liam sat there, red faced.

"Are you okay?" Jade asked, seeing him sigh.

"I just need to be alone for a few minutes." He said. Jade got up and left to her lab.

"I feel bad for Liam." Corey said as Jade opened up the lab.

"Maybe if we gave him a lap dance, it would cheer him up. Not _me_ , just someone else because that would be…weird." Blaise said.

"So beautiful, do you want me to give you a tour of our department again?" Corey asked, seeing Blaise's eyes light up.

They left and Draco shook his head, pulling up a seat.

"They've had two tours this morning. I'm getting sick of them." Draco said as Jade pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

"We should be thankful that some are having a better morning than others." Jade said.

Draco stood quiet as Jade set up the microscope.

"Do you think Longbottom is behind all of this?" Draco asked.

' _No_.' Jade thought.

"That's what they're saying." Jade said.

Draco didn't respond and she looked at him, noting his surprise.

" _Really_?" Draco asked.

"You don't think so?" Jade asked.

"Actually I don't and I'm pretty shocked that you don't either." He said.

Jade was impressed yet again. Not only did they share the same thoughts, he knew the way she thought better than anyone else had.

"Who do you think is responsible for this if it isn't Neville?" Jade asked darkly.

Draco held her eyes, taking another shot into her mind but failed miserably.

"I don't know, but I know that there's something you're not telling me." Draco said.

"It's too bad that I don't know what you're talking about Auror Malfoy." Jade said.

Draco got up, standing directly in front of Jade.

"Why is it that every time I talk to you, your mind and emotions becomes impenetrable?" Draco asked.

"Protection mostly but mainly because it's none of your business." Jade said.

The door swung open and Draco turned around but Jade had her eyes on him.

"Another fucking body's just been found!" Liam said.


	12. Part Two: Heads Will Roll

Also just wanted to give a heads up, the degrees in this story is Fahrenheit, not Celsius. I will change it eventually...

 **Please read and review**! **Don't leave me hanging!**

* * *

Jade looked over the body, seeing it exactly the same as the last one was presented. Nothing was changed and flawless once again except that there were two hands this time but no head.

"What does this body tell us?" Marshall asked with Parkinson and Thatcher standing beside him.

"The body is cold this time. Slightly colder than the one we found in King's Cross." Jade said.

"So? All dead things become colder." Parkinson said.

"Actually the temperature of an ordinary corpse is around 74 degrees or slightly less and that's only in normal room temperature but the body reads 45. It's well over 90 degrees outside so even if 'dead things become colder', it isn't so when it's this hot outside." Jade said.

"So you're saying that these parts were brought in cold?" Marshall asked as Parkinson and Thatcher kept trying to piece together whatever Jade just told them.

"Yes sir. Wallace was right; the killer is preserving the bodies in cold temperature from letting the cells denature." Jade said. Marshall nodded immediately.

"You're absolutely right. But how are we going to find this goddamn truck? There's over a billion trucks going in and out of this city, it'll take us months to investigate." Marshall said. Jade stood back up, closing her camera again.

"Excellent work Jade." Marshall said, seeing Jade give him a short smile.

Parkinson and Thatcher looked revolted and Jade left. She walked past Draco who thanked a homeless man for his cooperation.

"Hey, I have good news." Draco said behind Jade who didn't bother to turn around.

"You can forward that to the Lieutenant and your high school sweetheart." Jade said, opening the trunk of her car.

"Hah, you're a riot." Draco said as she packed her things neatly and in an orderly fashion. "What I said or even tried to do this morning was out of line. You have every right to take a gun and shoot me in the head." Draco said.

' _I have better ideas._ ' Jade thought.

"It was just a routine operation we were supposed to do to make sure-"

"That's a pretty bold lie to say when you're trying to apologize, isn't it?" Jade asked, opening the door to her driver's seat.

Draco caught the door before Jade could close it.

"You're good." Draco said, seeing her look up from starting the car.

"On the contrary, you're _bad_. My nieces and nephews are better at lying than you." Jade said, seeing him grin.

"Well look who their Aunt is." he said.

Wordlessly, Jade closed the door and sped off, driving towards Cambridge. She was heavily considering putting Draco Malfoy on the table after she was done with Marleen Birgitta.

* * *

Jade stopped in front of a high end designer store where she saw Marleen smiling and posing in different shades of sunglasses. It was a little early for post mourning shopping for the ex-husband who died just about a few weeks ago…unless that's what women did.

Jade got out of the car and walked into the store. Marleen turned, giving Jade a onceover before turning back to try on the rest of her glasses.

"May I help you Madame?" the saleswoman asked.

Thanks to her years of acting experience, this one came easily.

"Ough! I want to buy every single goddamn thing in this store!" Jade said, taking out her wallet.

The saleswoman looked frightened and Marleen eavesdropped.

"Who the hell does he think he is anyways? I'm his fucking _wife_ and he thinks he can just cheat on me and get away with it? If he can buy the whore thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry, I deserve to wear his account out." Jade said, pushing her credit card towards the saleswoman.

"I…er…" the saleswoman squeaked.

"Don't do that!" Marleen said immediately.

Jade looked up, seeing Marleen set her sunglasses down and walk towards her. Her hair was perfectly bleached but the amount of plastic surgeries that were on her face, Jade wondered if there would be a chance to draw any blood if she cut her cheek.

"Look for some more glasses for me will you?" Marleen said to the saleswoman and sliding Jade's credit card back to Jade. The saleswoman nodded and left, leaving Marleen and Jade alone.

"What? A girl can't take what she deserves?" Jade asked as Marleen patted her back.

"I know how you feel but you're doing things all wrong. If you make a huge charge on his credit card, he'll take the cards and account from you and won't leave you any bloody change." Marleen said.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Jade asked, trying to seem upset. Marleen looked around to see if anyone was listening or nearby.

"Think of the big picture if you know what I mean. Plan ahead, do you get it?" Marleen asked. Jade made a face.

"What the fuck?" Jade asked.

"I know your situation all too well. Men aren't supposed to be trusted and they don't deserve a single pound. Now here's a question, does your husband have a will?" Marleen asked. Jade sniffed.

"Of course he does, he's like…rich." Jade said, seeing her nod.

"Suppose something happens to your husband, who gets everything he owns?" Marleen asked.

"I do." Jade said. Marleen smiled and tapped her own temple.

"Give him what he deserves and settle yourself for life with his millions. Then that whore will come crawling to you and you can kick her wherever you please." Marleen said. Jade looked at Marleen who stood back and pointed to her shirt and pants. "And honey, when you _do_ get your millions, make sure you get new pants and a new shirt." She said.

Xenophilius always taught Jade that preparation was key when carrying out a task that demanded perfection and caution. Setting up the kill room was particularly easy for Jade and in a way a ritual for Jade. What better place to kill a woman who made her husbands suffer in their own bedroom?

* * *

Marleen came back home very late. Jade watched from the window, wearing her long sleeved black shirt and brown pants…hopefully Marleen would be able to appreciate her coffee stained clothes better now. Marleen unlocked her door and opened it walking in. The mansion was dark and quiet, giving Marleen the chills. She reached for the lights and flipped them to turn on but the lights never came.

"What the fuck? I told that dirty low life to fix the fucking lights." Marleen growled.

Jade emerged from the shadows behind and swung her arm over Marleen to put her in a headlock. Marleen choked, dropping her purse and keys as Jade tightened her hold against her neck. Flailing her arms around miserably, Marleen grew limp in Jade's arms from the lack of oxygen.

"The only bad bulb that's going to be fixed is you." Jade said.

Marleen slowly came back to consciousness. She blinked, seeing that she was on her back and naked. She moved her head around, realizing that she couldn't move the rest of her body and started to panic.

"Someone save me! Help me!" she started to scream.

"I'm afraid they can't. I've soundproofed your mansion because I knew you were the loud type." Jade said, appearing over Marleen.

"What the fuck? What are you doing to me?" Marleen asked.

"Not much right now. A lot in the next few minutes though." Jade said picking out a scalpel. She made a cut on Marleen's cheek as Marleen screamed her lungs out.

"Ah, she bleeds! And I was worried that silicon would come spilling out." Jade said, extracting the blood with a tube.

"Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you? I tried to help you!" Marleen screamed.

Jade cocked her head to the side, placing a drop of blood on the slide.

"You didn't do anything to me. Don't worry, this is nothing personal. I just do this because I like it." Jade said, placing the cover on the slide, seeing the drop of blood expand. Marleen made a small sound.

"You like it? What kind of sick bastard are you?" Marleen asked.

"That's the very same question I'd like to ask you. What kind of sick woman would enjoy watching her husbands suffocate to death just to enjoy a few dollars or pounds?" Jade asked.

"There were millions at play here. Smart women know how to get their money and by looks of it, you were going to do that too." Marleen spat.

Jade smiled, placing her elbows on the table, leaning over Marleen's face.

"I don't have a husband." Jade said.

Marleen laughed in disbelief, looking away from Jade. "Oh God…you're a good actress." Marleen said.

Jade nodded. "I've been a veteran at acting for so many years now. And I only do that to seem normal and unsuspicious because truthfully speaking, I don't have anything inside. It gets exhausting from time to time, playing a sister, friend, co-worker etcetera, etcetera. But being here, seeing a victim on my table is when I get to put all my roles aside and be myself." Jade said slowly, looking at Marleen who felt a new side of terror.

"Please don't do this to me. I'll give you all my money, all of it." Marleen cried.

"I don't believe you." Jade said, seeing Marleen nod vigorously.

"I will give you my entire net worth. 500 million of it." Marleen said.

Jade took out a few papers and set it next to Marleen's hand.

"Sign it and date it." Jade said, placing the pen in Marleen's hand whose wrist arm was still bound to the table.

"I can't believe this is about money." Marleen sobbed, signing the places where it required her signature. Jade took the papers away from her and walked away, setting the paper aside.

"This really isn't about the money Marleen. It's about feeding my addiction and giving you what you deserve." Jade said, picking up a syringe.

"What kind of person are you? Stealing, lying, cheating killer!" Marleen screamed.

"This is Botox, I'm sure you're familiar with it. It's going to paralyze your trachea and prevent you from breathing." Jade said. She stabbed Marleen in the throat, injecting the Botox. "You get to feel what you put your husbands through." Jade said, pointing to pictures of the four men who were smiling from across the room. "And that money never belonged to you." Jade said, seeing Marleen start to choke. "And it certainly doesn't belong to me either. I'm going to do something I've never done since the last eight years. I'm going to make you die a hero…well…somewhat. That 500 million is going to charities all around the world…to people who need it and deserve it." Jade whispered into Marleen's ear.

* * *

Jade drove back home, feeling accomplished and the dark hole in her plugged up for a while. It was different tonight, the way she had fed her addiction. For once she left the body out in the open than throwing it in the North Sea. Tomorrow morning, Jade was going to get a call from the department to determine Marleen Birgitta's death in the tub. Jade would find the syringe with Marleen's fingerprints and rule it out as a suicide. Then she would have a delicious meatball sub sandwich and worry about the mysterious killer who stored his victims in the cold.

The noise of a rumbling truck pulled up next to Jade's car as she waited on the stop light. Jade wasn't looking at anything in particular but when she turned her head, she saw a large boxy truck that read ' _Ice King- Royalty Best Served Cold_!' with a picture of a cartoonish King with a short brown beard.

' _No way_.' Jade thought.

She looked up to the driver's seat which had been higher because of the truck. She couldn't see the driver at all, only his silhouette. The truck drove away and Jade drove after it. Possibilities were that this wasn't even _the_ truck but what was it doing out and about at this hour of the night? Jade followed the truck for about a half an hour, wondering if it really was worth it. The truck drove onto a bridge, pacing faster than usual. Jade followed and checked if anyone else's car had been with them.

When Jade finally returned her eyes to the front, it felt like the world had suddenly stopped and the only thing moving ultra-slowly was her car and the two heads flying towards her, crashing into her windshield. Jade was so startled, she lost control of the car and crashed into a metal guardrail.


End file.
